Vamps & Ghosts - A DL Halloween
by Blackstar Dragonlover
Summary: What happens when the vampires meet ghosts? Are ghosts real or is this all one big hallucination? Sakamaki, done; Mukami, done. Come back on Oct. 31 next year for a final with the Tsukinamis. Antics are sure to happen. Have a safe Halloween !
1. Haunting with the Sakamakis

**Hey guys, hope you enjoy this holiday one. Theme: **What would happen if ghosts came in to disturb the vampires daily lives? Would they run them out?

**I do not own Diabolik Lovers, all rights go to it's creator Reject. *Important - Anything you may recognize from other shows, movies, books, etc. I do not own, is not related and it comes from my imagination. It may be inspired, but is my own work.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

**Sakamaki Version**** -**

It is early evening, just as the sun had set. The moon half full with light shone over the land of autumn Japan. There was a chill in the air as the wind howls softly about the trees, swaying. Bats fluttering from their perch to go off and feed. A strange atmosphere was in the air, something of mischievous intent and strange horror about.

Over in the Sakamaki mansion, life was as dull as it ever was. A grandfather clock tolled throughout the home, an eerie chime for each hour. It was time to wake up and go off to school for the bored little vampires. Shū, of course, was the last to leave as everyone piled into their limo and headed off. The vampire brothers were feeling ready to feed on any 'bride' that will soon drop by. However, there was no human to be dropped off this month, just a few bags of blood here and there. Enough to sustain their thirst, but not enough to drink daily. Even so, it would seem their troubles were just beginning.

The Sakamaki siblings arrived at school, filing out, they headed off into their respective classes. They were careful to walk around any decorations left out by the day time classes. It was October, the month of spooky stuff and Halloween. The vampires didn't care too much about the holiday. Heck ghouls, monsters, zombies, they didn't even exist to them. Especially ghosts.

...

"Oi I heard something in my last class. Apparently, this school is haunted." Ayato says between chewing his lunch. He sat with his twins and Reiji in the cafeteria. It was rare they got together, much less in school.

"Mhm, we are haunting this school," Raito replies while sipping his drink.

"No, I mean like ghosts and stuff." Ayato insists.

Reiji adjusted his spectacles. "Ayato, there are no such things as ghosts. Must I remind you of that?"

"Yeah yeah. But they're dead. We're dead. So maybe we're the ghosts."

"And we're back to my comment." Raito points out.

"Shut up perv."

Reiji sighs, "Ayato, ghosts are dead humans. They don't exist but we do. Vampires are real but ghosts are myths. End of story."

"Geez, you're such a buzz kill. If ghosts aren't real, then how are people killing themselves by speaking names in a mirror? Playing cards?"

"Suicide maybe?" Raito speaks up. "Or it is something creepy."

"Raito, please stop trying to fill his head with more brainless ideas."

"Yes sir." He replies nonchalantly.

"All of you making such a fuss over fairy tales. Even Teddy knows they're not real."

Ayato huffs, "Says the kid who thinks the Nutcracker is a thief of toys."

"What do you know Ayato! Shut up before I gouge out your eyes!" Straight away Kanato starts yelling at the top of his lungs. Most of the other students were used to him throwing a tantrum at least every week, so they just moved away from the four to sit in the distance.

"Quiet little brat! I'll rip your tongue out before you get the chance!" Ayato counters, standing up as he shouts.

"Enough!" Reiji pushes Ayato back in his seat and sets down a plate of sugary confections in front of Kanato to block his view momentarily. "We're in a public place. Behave yourselves."

The twins gave a sound of forced agreement before settling back into their lunches. 'This wasn't over yet', Ayato thought to himself, he still had ideas to make them believe ghosts were real. Even if it was just a harmless prank.

...

Ayato walks around the school, skipping his next class. No big deal. Trying to think up ways to fool his siblings, especially Reiji. He'd love more than anything to see his older brother shriek in fear or show some sign of fright. He walks down the hallway until a flyer on one of the school's bulletins catches his attention.

**"New Members of the Occult are Welcome! No Experience is Required. If you are Interested Please contact Fudoki, Mio of class 2-2 for more information. Ghost summonings are on Friday Nights at Midnight in the old Radio room after school."**

Ayato pulls the flyer off the board to read. He would go ask this 'Mio' person but he was in that class. Though Ayato doesn't remember anyone by that name. "Must be a day-time student. Sucks." He crumples the paper and drops it before walking off. Walking a few steps, he paused, 'Wait so tonight's Friday right? It must be since everyone has the weekend vibe to them. Crap so where's the old radio room again? What time is it?' He glances down the hall to a clock on the wall. It was ten after twelve. Ayato picks up the crumpled flyer and pockets it, he races off to find the radio room mentioned.

Once he arrived, barely a couple of minutes had passed. He barges through the door. "Hey is this the ghost club summoning?" Ayato calls out. In the dark, candlelit room, a handful of students jumped from his arrival. The leader of the group, a senior who was acting medium, stood from her seat.

"Uh yes. Aren't you a night student? Shouldn't you be in class?" She asked tentatively.

"Why? You day time students won't let a night class as members?" Ayato asks defensively. He looks the upperclassman up and down. She was just average, not his type.

"No, but we were granted this permission to be here if we didn't disrupt the night students in any way." She carefully explained.

Ayato grew annoyed. "Too bad. I want to see this so-called ghost summoning. Is it true you can summon the dead?"

The senior looks at the group before her uncertain. All were hesitant to answer. Finally, a male student stood from his seat. "If you want to know, please sit. You can find out on your own." The boy points to an empty seat beside him.

Ayato cautiously walks over. "How do I know this isn't some trick?"

"Just watch or rather feel for yourself." Ayato looked confused for a minute. "My name's Fudoki, this here is our medium, Soleil." Fudoki introduces himself then points to the senior girl.

"That's a weird name," Ayato comments as sits, scooting his seat a little distance from the male student.

"It's my witch name. It is what I'll ask the ghosts to refer to me as in this séance. As it is a rule, never to say your real name." Soleil explains calmly.

"Se-what?"

"A séance is a ritual to communicate with spirits." Fudoki simply explains.

"Why can't I say my real name to ghosts?"

"It's a rule to never break. Tell a spirit your real name, they'll attach to you and may cause harm or malice to you or to those around you."

"Oh." Ayato didn't really get it. "So can we start?"

"First, what is your name newcomer?" Fudoki asks politely.

"Hmph. Tremble in fear, because Yours Truly is here!" Ayato exclaims proudly. A silence fell about the room.

Soleil clears her throat. "Your actual name please."

Ayato slumps a little disappointed these humans showed no fear, nor acknowledgment to his self-proclaimed name. "Sakamaki, Ayato. But the girls can call me Yours Truly."

Soleil forces a smile in acknowledgment. "Thank you Sakamaki-san. Now, remember everyone, summoning spirits is not always successful. Most of the time you would end up with wild imaginations. But on a rare occasion, a spirit may answer the call."

"Does it have something to do with experience or how strong a person's spiritual power is?" A student asks.

"No. Mostly it's a chance of luck. Also, the spirit that may be summoned can be good or bad. A bad spirit you don't want as they can cause harm to you or those you care about. It's best to ask them to please leave. If not, then shut down the séance at once by properly doing an exit ceremony. Now is everyone ready? Come close, let's close this circle, leaving no gaps but breathing room." Soleil finishes her explanation and prepares the table by rubbing a bit of sage across. Then onto a wooden board with letters and numbers on it.

"What is this?" Ayato asks out loud.

"An Ouija board. It's a ghost summoning tool." Fudoki explains."

"Okay but what about that weird wiping stuff on it earlier?"

"It's for protection from the bad spirits." Soleil answers. "I'm adding a mixture of dried Bay Laurel and Rowen to all corners of the cardinal directions." She places pieces of both plant leaves in each corner. She also made sure the candles placed around the board were lit.

Soleil took a deep breath before speaking. "I call upon you wandering souls, would you please grace us with your presence? I have with me here, a way of communication. Please use it to your wishes." She pauses before motioning everyone to stay quiet.

Ayato waits, briefly thinking he was wasting his time. A female student beside him shivered.

"Is something wrong?" Whispered her friend. "It's nothing. I got the chills all of a sudden."

"Creepy." Her friend replied.

Ayato sighs. Big waste of time, he had hoped this would have been a little more interesting- "The hell!" He jumped, startled. A breeze just flew down his neck. No wait, it felt like warm air, as if someone was breathing down his neck for a moment. He looked around but didn't see anything, even with his vampire senses.

"Everyone please calm down," Fudoki states in a calm voice. "Please sit Sakamaki-kun, it would be bad if anyone disrupts the circle."

"Sure if someone closes the windows first."

"The windows are closed. We're in the old school building, the windows have been boarded up for years." Fudoki explains, pointing to where the windows were located.

Ayato glances, even with his excellent eyesight, he could see the windows were boarded uptight. There wasn't even an air conditioner in the room. "Che. Fine." Ayato sits, keeping his guard up from now on.

Fudoki nods to Soleil to continue. She calls out again. "Spirits from the beyond, please use the items on this table to communicate with us, please. We won't harm you, you are safe here."

Once again it was all silent. A minute had passed, Ayato was becoming irritated. The student beside him shivered again, then at the same time, a candle in front of her flickered. Both Fudoki and Soleil shared a small smile, the lights flickered a couple more times before snuffing out.

"Is someone here with us tonight?" Soleil calls out. The candle-lit in response. "Alright. It seems we have a spirit. It seems to like the light. Very well. We'll ask the spirit a question each. As for you spirit, I thank you for answering our call this evening. You may respond with the candle. Lit for yes, snuffed out for no. Is that acceptable?" The flame flickers before solidifying as a yes.

"Okay, now we commence with the questions. Please ask yes or no questions only, remember to please be respectful at all times. Now, who wants to start?" Fudoki asks, looking around.

The group went around in a circle three times, everyone getting a chance to ask three questions. So far Ayato was enjoying it. This was fun. After about fifteen minutes, Fudoki decides it is time to close the session.

"Hold up! Let me ask it one more question." Ayato interrupts.

"Sakamaki-kun, it's best if we don't -"

Ayato ignores Fudoki. "Okay, this is very important. Are ghosts as immortal as vampires?"

Everyone looked shocked at his random question. Soleil looks stunned for a moment before addressing the spirit. "Well, will you please give us an answer spirit?" She asks politely.

The group awaits the spirit's reply. A few moments passed before the flame flickered for a good minute before becoming a steady flame once more.

"Okay. That was our last question." Concludes Soleil.

"But it didn't give a solid answer," Ayato complains.

"Well, we're out of time either way. Now humble spirit. We are grateful you could come and spend some time with us. Thank you very much." She then proceeds to blow out the remaining light source. "I hope you can find peace on the other side." A cool breeze flows around the room, startling a couple of students, then disappears as quickly as it came. The room becomes quiet once more.

"And there ends our midnight séance with a spirit. I hope you all had fun and learned a little something." Fudoki tells the group, turning on several flashlights, passing them to everyone. "Be safe on your way home everyone." He bids them goodnight. "Now shouldn't you head back to class Saka-" Fudoki turns to see just Soleil beside him.

"Huh. I guess he left already."

"Yeah. Hey did you move the board after my back was turned?" She asks him.

"No. It should be on the table." The two look over at the table but saw nothing. The Ouija board and candles were missing.

...

The school was finally over for the night. Five of the Sakamaki siblings piled into their limo. Reiji noticed Ayato was missing. Adjusting his glasses, he addressed his brothers. "Where is Ayato? Another detention he forgot to mention?" Raito shrugged, Kanato stared at his teddy, bluntly ignoring him.

"He left some time ago." Shū sleepily replies.

"Home or to play in town?"

"Dunno." He sighs, not really caring.

"Well wherever he rushed off to, he'll come back when he gets hungry. Or bored." Raito points out. Everyone mutually agreed before leaving school for home. The ride was deathly quiet, save for a few giggles shared between Kanato and Teddy.

After arriving home, the five siblings headed inside to part ways for the upcoming morning. However, in the entrance hall stood a grinning, proud idiot. "Finally you're all back. Yours Truly is pleased."

The vamps paused, with empty expressions on their faces. They then turn to leave to their personal destinations, uninterested in what their nonsensical brother of theirs was up to.

"Hey wait! Yours Truly has some great news."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's something stupid." Reiji comments.

"It's something fun."

"Oh~? A new sacrifice perhaps?" Raito asks, intrigued.

"No, but better." Ayato states.

"Please tell us then Ayato." Raito waits for his twin's surprise with slight interest.

"I'll tell you guys if you come into the drawing-room."

"Hm. Okay then. Kanato do you want to come with us?"

"No. Teddy and I have plans." Kanato disappears right after.

"Oh well." Raito shrugs.

"Che. Reiji's gone to his room already and Shū's disappeared to who knows where." Ayato notices.

"Well, their loss. That just leaves one person, Subaru."

"Hah?"

The twins look over at Subaru, who now thinks it's a good idea to leave the hall.

...

"Why the hell am I here?" Subaru grumbles, his attempt to leave ended up with him being dragged to the drawing-room. He sits down in front of a table with Ayato in front and Raito on his right.

"Because everyone else said no. You're the only available one." Raito replies smoothly, sitting down as well.

"Who says I don't have plans?" Subaru interjects.

"Watering flowers, as usual, every day? They'll die quicker that way."

Subaru folded his arms, turning away. "Tch. Whatever."

Raito leans over to put an arm around Subaru. "Besides, just think about it as a way to spend time with your older brothers."

"Hah?" Subaru shoves him off his person. "Quit talking nonsense. Oi Ayato! The hell we doing here anyway?"

"One sec! Making sure I have everything." Ayato calls back, checking a bag full of tree leaves, sticks, and weeds for his plans.

"What does he need with a bunch of junk?" Subaru mutters, confused.

"To build a bat trap?" Raito suggests.

"Alright." Ayato slams a wooden board in front of the two.

"What is this horrendous thing?" Subaru asks, looking at the weird board with carvings of letters and numbers.

"It's a board to summon ghosts. A spooks club summoned some this evening. Now I'll be able to prove their existence." Ayato explains. Happily setting everything up. 'Now I'll show them who's right.'

"The hell are you talking about?" Grumbles an annoyed albino.

"Ah, he thinks ghosts and vampires are similar beings. So you found a club that deals in the supernatural. They play some magic tricks now you want to show us what you learned?" Raito concludes.

"That's just a load of crap."

"I'll prove you wrong. Just watch! This witch girl summoned a ghost, I asked it a question and it didn't give me a straight answer. So I'll bring them back and prove their existence to you." Ayato sets up the candles he stolen around the Ouija board, lighting them.

Taking the bag of leaves, grass, and sticks, he dumps them on the table and spreads them around the board. "There, that's to ward off any mean spirits. Now sit back and watch. You just call them and they come."

"Like little bitches." Mummers Raito. He sits back and watches as his twin chants unintelligible things.

"What are you saying?" Subaru questions, not seeing the point in all of this.

"Chanting is an extra safety precaution," Ayato said, continuing his speech of mixed words. "Now spirits, I command you to come. I have questions for you."

"This'll be crap."

"Now now Subaru, let's just hear him out for now. Not like we have anything better to do in our immortal lives."

"You're just waiting for some pervy female ghost to do something nasty with."

"Hm, that's not a bad idea…"

"Gross!" Subaru cringed. Scooting his chair further from his older brother.

The trio waited a couple of minutes but nothing came. Ayato brushed it off. "So shy. Come on spirits, Yours Truly commands you to come forth and reveal your presence to these nonbelievers." He raised his arms high like a priest giving a sermon. Nothing. They waited another five minutes, growing impatient.

"Ayato, I think it's time to give up. We waited long enough. Maybe what you saw with your spooks' club were some illusions?" Raito said, tired of waiting for nothing.

"Hah? No way! It was real! Those damn cowards. How dare they make a fool out of me, Ayato."

"Yeah yeah real fun. Can we go now?" Subaru asks, annoyed at the redhead's antics.

"Che. Those fools. Wait until I see them again on another ghost summoning night. I'll kill 'em!" Ayato swears, swiping at the board, knocking it and it's contents to the ground. The board breaks in half on impact.

"Well, that was fun. Nee Subaru, wanna go shoot darts until supper?" Raito asks the albino.

"Why?"

Raito shrugs. "Ayato can come too, loser buys lunch at school for the next two weeks."

"Hm... Fine." Subaru agrees. Not that he had anything better to do, free lunch sounds okay.

"And Ayato? Hm.. looks like he's gone. Oh well." Raito bends down to blow out the candles before the two leave for the game room. After the door shuts, the ouija board lay still on the ground. A fine shadowy mist forms from the shadows under a window nearby. It creeps up on the board. Covering the two halves in darkness before swallowing it whole. Then the mist slithers away into the shadows. Nothing left where the ouija board sat but grass and sticks.

…

In the early morning hours, rain started with a calm pitter-patter. Quickly brewing into a rolling storm with thunder and lightning crackled and roared. It was enough to wake each Sakamaki in the manor from their slumber for a moment. Hearing the howling wind outside, the lights dancing in the sky, it was a moment of worry. As the storm continued, some went back to sleep while others looked out, hoping for a break in the downpour.

Nevertheless, the thunderstorm seemed enough to wake the dead. Before the day ended, one stray bolt of lightning hit an unmarked tombstone, out in the Sakamaki's graveyard. Leaving a large scorch mark in the center before the tombstone crumbles to pieces. After which, the wind blows violently around the area before disappearing with the storm shortly after. Evening comes and the storm finally left at nightfall.

Clouds still scatter in the sky as evening falls, the moon shines between them. Morning for the vampires come with a chilly atmosphere, and heavy mist lingers. Each sibling wakes in time for meals at their own pace, in time for breakfast. A couple sleeping in late after the storm awakened them from slumber. As a morning person, Reiji was up before the rest. Prepping his chores and breakfast for everyone. He made his way to the dining hall in silence. As he passed a window, the vampire paused.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed a figure in the distance. It looked like a young girl was standing out at the front gate. The gate doors were open, the girl, so pale, stood in the middle of them, hands to her side, looking out to the road. Reiji turns his head for a better look at the intruder. Just as he adjusts his spectacles, the figure vanished. He peered out into the mist for any signs of what could have been out there. He couldn't see anything but the mist and an empty driveway.

"Oi Reiji."

Reijij turns to the owner of the voice, Ayato stood behind him, hand on hip. "How long are you going to keep us waiting for food? I'm starving. Mostly for blood."

Reiji closes his eyes with a sigh. "Learn some patience. Breakfast will be ready shortly."

"Finally." Ayato exclaims exasperated. The two vampires leave the hall. Outside in the mist, the figure returns. Returning as a young girl in white, she stares inside the manor. She moves towards the front door, vanishing on the way.

…

"That storm during the day was terrible. Must be a tropical storm we weren't warned about." Raito presumes. Walking down one of the manor's hallways with Reiji and Kanato after breakfast.

"I highly doubt that. If it were a tropical storm we'd be hearing a few more days of rain and wind." Reiji explained to him. "It was entirely rain for the dry season these past few days."

"I hope it never comes back then. Teddy couldn't sleep well last night." Kanato grumbles, holding his stuffed bear tightly.

"Mm. Weather like that would keep prey from leaving. If we ever get any more." Raito exhales, longing for another female victim to play with.

Adjusting his spectacles, Reiji was about to scold Raito for complaining, then warn him to not get any ideas to go find his own, a soft rattling sound interrupts them.

"Hm? What's that?" Raito asks. The trio pauses to listen. A soft sound of wood being dragged across a surface was heard. It sounded as if someone was moving something across the floor. "It's coming from one of the upper floors." Raito notes.

"Indeed. One of the others must be moving somethings around."

"It's so noisy. Teddy wants the noise to stop." Kanato glares at the ceiling annoyed.

"We could always go up to investigate."

"Waste of time." Reiji declines before disappearing. The twins stay behind, looking to where the sound was coming from, they moved to where they believed it was. The two appeared before a small storage closet. The sound had changed from a rattling to scratching sound.

"Ugh it's so annoying. It's probably Ayato."

"Excuse me brat?"

The two turn to see their triplet sibling behind them. "Well, there you are. I was under the impression you were still sulking about what happened yesterday?"

"Shut up. I don't sulk." Ayato snaps.

Raito shrugs. Kanato, tired of waiting, opens the door. Letting it creak open loudly as it opened. "Whoever's making that insufferable noise, stop it before I make you!" He shouts into the room. A loud shrieking was heard along with a loud thud. The triplets look towards the back corner of the room. A panicked bat takes off out an open window. Leaving behind an old radio.

"What was that about?" Ayato questions out loud.

"A low class familiar. I swear when I find him, I'll squash him." Kanato vows, watching as the bat flies off into the night.

"Now now, let's not be hasty. We found the cause of the noise and stopped it." Raito calmly states as he walks towards the object of the bat's attention. "Hm. I don't recognize it as one of Shū's items."

"We should throw it out," Ayato says. "Reiji would have a fit over more junk in the manor."

"You're right. You can take it out Ayato." Raito says.

"Why me?"

"You're closer to the thing." Raito points out.

"Che." Ayato moves towards the radio. He picks it up from its spot the bat dropped it, not realizing he accidentally turned it on in the process. The box glows on before a crackling sound was heard.

"Ayato what did you do!" Screams the little vampire.

"Shut up! It's not my fault." Ayato argues back, placing the radio on top of a box.

"Shh." Raito shushes them. "Listen, something's coming in."

"Why should I listen to a heap of garbage?"

"Listen," Raito repeats, turning up the volume dial.

_'This week's Midnight Story Hour comes from the United Kingdom. The Yellow Spector of Windbridge Castle.'_

"Great a lame tale." Kanato grumbles.

"A spector?"

"Another name for a ghost Ayato."

"Oh."

"Idiot. Even I know that."

Ayato turns to snarl at his siblings when an ear-piercing scream cuts through the tension. The triplets look back at the old radio box which made another sound, a female cackling. Captivated momentarily, they waited until the narrator started telling the story. Adding sound effects in the background during the radio show, to further state that it was a ghost tale being told.

_"In the early thirteenth century, Windbridge Castle was owned by a prosperous lord of the region. Lord Kyme was a zealous man, he had an overbearing personality. His wife, Dame Athaliah Lleweellyn was very supportive of her husband and managed to run the home with little effort, despite having five daughters and a son. For many years, the couple lived happily. Until their son, Caius died young at the age of seven.'_

_'Lord Kyme was devastated. During his time of mourning, Lord Kyme fell passionately in love with another woman. A noblewoman by the name of Cassia, whom the couple had known since she was a babe. He courted the young miss in secret but Dame Athaliah would have none of it. She let her husband know that she would always be by his side and that a younger woman wouldn't make him as happy as she did. Lord Kyme did not take kindly to this. Several weeks after, Dame Athaliah fell ill and soon died.'_

_'Dame Athaliah was reportedly locked in a small room of the castle. She was kept isolated, the servants gave her little food and water until she eventually starved. On the day she died, it is said Lord Kyme paid her a visit, impatient with how long it has taken for her to perish. The servants overheard the pair having an intense argument before a scream was heard. Dame Athaliah fell out of her window and died upon hitting the ground.'_

_'A month had passed since her death, Lord Kyme soon married Cassia. The newlyweds were full of joy and happiness. Because of Lord Kyme's position in the country's hierarchy, his actions were never questioned. Neither was the suspicious death of his previous wife. Dame Athaliah however, wasn't about to let the happy couple forget about her.'_

_'That night, the newlyweds bed together, until they heard a soft wailing sound out their window. Lord Kyme got up to check, assuring his bride that it was only the wind. However, once he approached the window, the sound stopped. He opened the window to see that there was no wind. The night was calm and still, no person was anywhere near the castle grounds. He closed the windows and went back to bed. As they settled in, the wailing began again. As the night wore on, the sounds became louder and more human. They began to sound like a woman in despair. SLight scratching sounds on the outer castle walls were heard. The eerie sounds continued until dawn.'_

_'In the morning, the young lady Cassia cautiously approaches the window, opening them to then step back with a gasp. In horror, she found inscribed in the stone of the window ledge, '**D. ATHALIAH LLEWEELLYN**'. The window was atop the highest tower of the castle. No human could ever reach that high on their own. The noblewoman cried out in fear, slamming the windows shut and running from the room.'_

_'To this day the inscription is still there on the ledge. Athaliah has now been dubbed the Yellow Spector by the caretakers of Windbridge Castle. She freely roams the halls of the castle, appearing occasionally to spook visitors and the caretakers of the castle. Appearing in a faint yellow dress, the spector leaves behind a faint scent of rosemary in the rooms she appears in. She rarely does harm to anyone in the castle.'_

As the narrator wraps up the story, the connection starts to fade. Static comes in slowly between every few words as the narrator reads off his credits list.

"Arg, the hell's wrong with this piece of junk?" Ayato grumbles, annoyed with the static interruptions.

"I agree, it's irritating. This is worse than that story." Kanato complains.

Raito shrugs. "Losing connection maybe? Time to turn it off." Ayato goes over to switch the box off but as he moves closer, the static becomes louder, drowning out the announcer. He looks back at his siblings momentarily.

"...aah…haa…"

"The hell?" The three look confused. Listening carefully, they could hear a voice coming in from the radio, distantly.

"...aay…aah...toe...kun…"

Ayato stands frozen, did he just hear his name off an old box of junk? No, it must be something else.

"...aay...aah...toe...kun…" This time the voice was growing louder within the static. Hard to say whether it was male or female.

"...I...love...you...I...love...you…"

"Okay if you don't turn that thing off right now Ayato, you'll be sorry!" Kanato yells at his brother. The noise was weirding him out. He did not like it one bit.

"...shh...shh...aay...aah...toe...Aya...to...kun-" Click. Ayato hurriedly turns the radio off but the light still glows. "...Aya...to...kun…play...with...me..." The voice continues to repeat.

"Ayato turn that blasted thing off!"

"I did! I swear!" Ayato fiddles with the switches. Trying to change channels, lower the volume, even turning it on and off repeatedly.

_**Crash!**_ Kanato slams the box against the wall, smashing it upon impact. "...will...you...be...my...friend…" The voice asks in a high pitched voice, as the radio's signal dies, the voice fades to silence. The triplets wait, expecting something else to happen.

"Well, that was interestingly creepy." Raito comments.

"How did it know my name? Why?" Ayato questions.

"Who knows." Raito replies. He makes sure to separate the pieces of the radio and dumps them into separate boxes. "Hope that's the last we hear of that, especially from the bats."

"Definitely." Kanato agrees. One by one the trio leaves the room.

Ayato, last to leave, glances back at the boxes. "Weird." He mumbles. Disappearing as well, closing the storage room door. The door locks itself back.

…

A few nights passed, things seemed to get weirder for the Sakamakis. A couple of times a night, items will appear in random places. Subaru's school jacket found on the gate outside; a few of Kanato's lesser dolls in a tree, on the roof of their limo, or even in the oven Reiji found Teddy. Luckily the oven wasn't on at the time. Tension between the siblings rose, each thinking it was a prank against each other.

Another strange thing, a couple of the vampires felt uneasy. Almost like something was watching them, following. In Ayato's case, he felt like someone was following and laughing at him. It was weird when he couldn't find a misplaced item, he could hear someone giggling. If one of the others yelled at him, a snicker was heard. "Oi! Whoever's out there, come out! Face me!" Having enough, the redhead vampire stopped in the middle of an empty hallway, calling out. "Face me and we'll see who's laughing still." Child-like giggles were heard.

Using his senses, Ayato was confused. He couldn't see or smell anyone, but he knew his hearing wasn't wrong. He could sense them but no one was there. It was very unnerving for him. It became apparent to him that he was dealing with something not natural after several days. Coming home from school early, the laughter was worse that night, the sound was booming in his ears. Ayato couldn't take it so he ran until he reached the pool room.

Big mistake, the laughter echoed throughout the room. "Shut up! Stop laughing!" He cries out, covering his ears to try and block out some of the noise. Then he felt a hand push him then he felt wet. Something had pushed him into the pool. 'Cheap trick. What the- why can't I get out?' As he attempts to swim out, it felt like something or someone was forcing him to stay under. He looked up towards the surface and saw shadows standing around, pointing at him.

Using his strength as a vampire, Ayato escaped the hold on him and swam up. Ready to beat up the shadows, only to find silence as he surfaced. No one was around, not even the giggling voices. Ayato was stumped. He relished the peace and quiet until the next time they came back. 'What is going on around here?'

Another vampire was also hearing voices, Reiji kept hearing someone calling for him. Normally he would ignore the calls of his name from others. But these calls, they were sad and frantically calling for help. Occasionally, the cries would sound like a young girl wailing. The female's voice would sound familiar, but as quickly as they come, they fade. Reiji would try to ignore them, but the cries would grow louder and louder. Screaming around him the empty air. He couldn't ignore it, so he'd just vanish from the room to another empty room for some quiet. Until the voices found him again.

A scream once a night was becoming common from one vampire. Seeing a rather large swarm of roaches crawling the emerald silk sheets, Raito lets out a scream in fright. Vampire or not, bugs were not his thing. Especially during his beauty rest, waking up to find something crawling around his room, terrifying. When he goes to fetch help, the bugs vanish without a trace. The most horrifying moment for Raito was just six days after the radio incident.

Coming home from school, he collapses on his bed from exhaustion. Slowly he falls asleep. A strange noise wakes him from his slumber, looking around in the dark to find the source of the noise. He could see nothing. However, he kept hearing a scratching noise. Waking up fully, Raito notices his room was rather dark. 'That's odd. It should be daytime. So why am I not seeing any sun from my window?' He goes over to his window the check, the scratching noise getting louder the closer he got.

Curious, he opened his curtains to find a black mass over his window. A moving mass of black spiders. Yelping in fear, he backs up as the swarm of spiders moves from the window heading his way. Letting sunlight blind him for a moment before Raito runs out of his room screaming in terror. The spiders were gone when he brought back help. However, since then, he would sleep with Ayato if he found another creepy bug in his room.

For Kanato, the boy was getting fed up with his stuffed animals being moved around, the same with his sweets. Even Teddy was moved, which infuriated him. Kanato would call out his siblings, especially Ayato and Subaru, displeased when they deny moving his stuff. All of his candy were replaced with crackers. Not one piece of candy was found throughout the manor, Kanato was enraged. The most frightening moment for Kanato was finding pieces of Teddy in his dinner soup. Luckily for the household, it was only a nightmare for the boy. Kanato took the dream to extremes and taped every last doll in their spot, even tapping Teddy to his person for extra precautions.

Shū was having troubles of his own. His music player would suddenly switch tracks often. Mostly switching to tracks with screams of pain and maniacal laughter. For someone okay with hearing his victims screaming as he bit them, the screams of children dying was not his forte. It became worse during his sleep. Hearing children crying was not the only element to his nightmare, being trapped in his room as it is engulfed in flames. Mostly being chained to his bed, watching the embers devour everything in sight. Let's just say, Shū hasn't had a good restful sleep in a long time.

Shū isn't the only one having bad dreams on a regular basis. Poor Subaru was stuck in an endless hallway with no way out of his dreams. Each night he wakes in a cold sweat, more exhausted than when he was sleeping. After a few nights of walking in his dreams, he comes across a door leading to what seemed to be a church. High arches, beautiful stained glass windows of white roses were displayed. The building was empty, nothing but a coffin in the middle of the altar.

Subaru carefully approaches the coffin. The lid was open slightly, Subaru could smell death from the coffin. As well as a familiar scent of rose. Alarmed, he rips off the lid of the coffin before trembling with fear. Inside the box lay a beautiful woman dressed in white, headless. The woman's head lay securely in her folded arms with a white rose flower crown on her temple. Subaru backed away in horror, seeing his mother's body made him uneasy.

Unable to wake up from this nightmare, he watches as Christa's eyes slowly open. Then suddenly he gasps for breath. His throat felt on fire, his lungs hurt, he couldn't breathe. After some time, Subaru regained a sense of serene. The image from his dream vanished. However, it wouldn't be the last time this nightmare came about.

...

Reiji was becoming fed up with these strange things happening around the manor. Dealing with Raito's fake bugs, finding Kanato's dolls everywhere but his room, Ayato's constant complaint of hearing things; it was becoming bothersome. Adding to the troubles, several of his books will fly off their shelves when he is out of his room. Reiji would find several books lying open on the floor, yards from the bookshelf. Bunsen burners would light up randomly, steam would appear in empty flasks, this was getting out of hand for him.

The activities seemed to get worse each night, the paranormal events kept happening, more frequently than the last. Dreams becoming real hallucinations. Soon it was Halloween Eve. The vampires were beginning to feel fatigued and exhaustion. Tonight though, Reiji put up his dangerous equipment in a locked closet. Just as he goes to sit down, his bookshelf starts to rattle. Sighing, Reiji walks over to stop the shaking but dodges instead as a book comes flying off the shelf. Several more follow. Some land on the floor, others hit the wall before flying around again. Pages turning, paper flying. It was too much and Reiji's patience was at an end.

"Enough is enough. Whoever you are, stop and show yourself." Reiji demanded, standing in the middle of his room, now a mess. The books stopped falling off the shelves. Everything paused. Reiji scanned the room for any signs of who caused this. A creak was heard behind him, he glanced behind at his wardrobe. The door of the wardrobe creaked loudly as it opened, a soft thud was heard as an object flew out. The vampire steps over to the fallen item. It was a soft pink towel. Nothing special about it he thought. He puts it back in the wardrobe to have it slip back out onto the floor. This time the bottom of the towel felt wet as he picked it up.

Flipping the cloth over, it was damp. 'This is peculiar. Why is a dry old towel wet? Wait why do I even have this?' Holding the towel close, he sniffed to find a long-familiar scent. 'This is _her_ scent.' The vampire looked at the towel before making the connection. "What have I told you about making trouble for me, Sashi-san?" Looking around, the chairs that were normally placed around a small side table were set as if two people were sitting in them to dine. He walks over to them and sits in the furthest one from the table.

"Well then, is this actually you? Knock once for yes." He waits, a soft knock was heard. "So you finally come back after disappearing? Such a bad girl, I would punish you harshly for leaving without notice. You are dead, correct?" A knock responded. "By whom?" Silence came. "Answer me, girl." Reiji demands, the ghost girl didn't respond. "By chance, you have no recollection who killed you, correct?" A knock sounded, loud and clear. "So it seems."

…

Shortly after, Reiji gather his siblings in the sitting room. He sat in his chair, so refined and patient as they came in. After all, six were in the room together, looking worn out but alert, Reiji cleared his throat to begin the gathering. "Well, I see everyone's here. That's good."

"What's this Reiji? It better be important." Ayato responds, impatient.

Adjusting his spectacles, Reiji calmly replies. "As you all know, we have some uninvited guests with us for the past couple of weeks-"

"Just say ghosts Reiji, it's not going to kill you." Raito interrupts. A few snicker in response to their realistic brother. A sharp glare in response quickly quieted the room.

"Very well, unusual activities have occurred. To my understanding, only summoning these phantoms is the reason for the occurrence. So, does anyone know how this happened?" He asks, looking around the room. No one responds. "Did anyone bring in a mirror with magic or a board or something?"

A hand was raised in question. "Would a board with letters be a problem?" Subaru asks.

"Yes. A spirit board."

"Then punish that idiot." He points to Ayato. "He brought a strange board home then did some crazy garbage before breaking the thing in two."

"Oi! I'd think twice about pointing this on me!" Ayato jumps up and yells at the albino.

"Well, you did say you wanted to talk to spirits Ayato." Raito says.

"Ayato."

"What is it now four-eyes? Gonna blame me too?" The redhead turns to him, riling up.

'Not currently but later.' Reiji makes a mental note for a later date. "Where is the board now?"

"Why?"

"Just bring it here."

"I don't have it."

"Ayato." Reiji sternly repeats. "Where is the board?"

Ayato shrugs, sitting back down. "I dunno. Went back for it a few days ago and it was gone. Maybe one of the familiars found it during cleaning or took it."

"Why would a familiar need a spirit board?" Shū inquires.

"Well, the last one wanted an old radio from the storage closet but left after Kanato threatened to kill it." Ayato states, remembering the time with the radio.

"Well, it was annoying! Kept dragging that damn thing around and making irritable noises!"

Reiji turns to Raito, "The same noise we heard the other night?"

Raito nodded. "Yep. Then it turned on and started telling ghost stories. Though it was hard to switch off, with the static and voices calling for Ayato."

"Excuse me? That's ridiculous."

"It's true," Raito said. He looks over to Kanato, who agrees. "Ayato was there too. It kept flirting with him."

"It was not!" Ayato yells, starting a mild argument with his twins.

Reiji sighed. This wasn't going anywhere fast. "Enough. So, Ayato used a spirit board, lost it, a radio told tales and spoke with its audience. Ayato I believe you messed up big time." He summarized before continuing to explain why.

A crash was heard nearby, a candle stand fell over. As if agreeing to the vampire's words, following the crash were giggles and screams heard in the room. Lights flickering, cackles and cries filled the room so much, each vampire covered their ears best they could to block out the sound. The room temperature suddenly started decreasing, then a shadowy figure appeared near the windows. Everyone froze, they could sense it wasn't one of them nor alive, the vampires watched as it drifted towards them.

"Who~..." A deep raspy voice was heard from the figure. "Who is responsible for the death of a young girl?"

They were all quiet, none of them moved or spoke. For once the fearless vampires were all unsure of what to do. The shadowy figure grew impatient with the silence. "Who is responsible for the sudden death of a young girl?" It demands in a louder voice.

"Oi, you'll have to be more specific than that!" Ayato calls out, stuttering at first. "We've killed many girls in our thirst. Who you're asking for was probably a nobody anyway." The figure turns to Ayato. A sudden chill crept down his spine. Swallowing, he looks away.

"I must agree with our foolish brother here. Please specify the name of this young woman you speak of." Reiji states to the figure.

The figure turns to Reiji, who also felt discomfort from the strange visitor. "... Hisashi… a young girl who was brutally murdered in this home was named Hisashi…" Raising a shadowy appendage, a white mist swirled around behind it. A young girl in white appeared long black hair covers half her face. She steps forward and stands beside the shadowy figure.

"We don't know anyone by that name." Kanato states. At the sound of his voice, the ghost girl looks at him. One amber eye staring into his amethyst eyes. He scowls right back at her.

"We will give you this one chance to give this lost soul a chance at peace." The dark figure states. It motions for the girl to speak.

In a soft voice, the girl discloses her story to them. "My name is Hisashi, I was dropped off here after being kidnapped by a hooded stranger. He messed with my memories and left me outside the front gate. I came here for shelter. My time here felt like I was trapped in a cage with no wings to fly. Still, some of it wasn't bad. I made a mistake one day and it cost me my freedom. I was imprisoned, chained with only one meal a day, beaten for my error. One night, feeling sick and weaken, I settled for some sleep. But I never woke up. Instead, I remember feeling immense pain everywhere and hearing laughter. Now after I was awoken as a spirit, all I ask is to know who killed me and why. Please, I would like to rest now. Please, will anyone help me?"

The room was quiet for a moment. The six took the information in, trying to figure out the story they just heard. Shū stood up, walked over to the ghostly figures. "You are Sashi to us, at least that's what Richter told us when he dropped you off here."

"Sashi-chan? Well, that takes me back. At least three decades ago you were so deliciously pretty." Raito states, tipping his hat to get a better look at the girl. "Oh, the times we could have had." He sighs in a wanton tone at his thoughts.

"As I recall, she chose me. So dead or not, she is still my property. Back off Raito." Reiji interjects.

"Great we identified the dead girl. I'm out of here." Ayato gets up to leave only to be yanked back into his seat by a powerful force.

"No one leaves until they confesses to killing Hisashi." The figure affirms to the brothers.

"Hah? And why should we?" Subaru asks.

"For now all the malicious spirits are being kept at bay by us. We can not hold them for long so please can I have the name of my killer? It's all I ask of." Hisashi tells them.

"Che. Big waste of time." Subaru mumbles.

"You, sophisticated one, you claim this girl belonged to you. Do you deny killing her?" The strange guest asks Reiji directly.

Adjusting his glasses, his response is clear. "I do deny. She was my food however I did not kill her. I merely locked her up for a time."

"So she was locked up by you, why?" Raito asks with slight curiosity.

"This girl had broken one of my special porcelain plates. A high-quality item, so I don't deny locking her up as punishment. However, I did not kill her over such a trivial thing."

"Oh, that serving plate. It was horrendous so I gave it to Kanato." Ayato apathetically claims. A death glare from Reiji was shot his way, the redhead shrugged.

"I agree. Between the plate and that girl, I much liked the sound of broken bones than a smashed plate." Murmurs Kanato with a slight giggle. "Teddy did too, right Teddy?" He asks his bear.

Five pair of eyes turn to the smaller vampire. "Hey Kanato, do you know what happened to the lovely Sashi?" Raito asks carefully.

Freezing, Kanato glares at his siblings. "No! I didn't do anything! It's her fault! She ruined our picnic by smashing our plate of cookies." He points to her, yelling angrily.

"Kanato did you do something behind our backs?"

"The little twirp probably did it. Such a mama's boy." Subaru says with distaste. Ayato and Raito stay quiet, they wanted to say something, but now wasn't the time.

"YOU BASTARD! Just because you're the unwanted one doesn't mean you can say whatever the hell you want! That stupid wrench didn't deserve what four eyes gave her. She deserved her death and that's what she got! She should stop complaining and suffer for what she had done." Kanato spills his confession, enraged at Subaru's comment. "Her blood wasn't worthy to be drank. All spoiled and sour. Her dying was a good thing. Even Teddy agrees, she became good friends with him afterwards."

"Kanato.. is she one of your wax dolls now?" Shū asks.

"Why? You can't have her." Kanato screams.

"Well, there you have it Sashi. Kanato is your killer. This child likely left your organs in a box since he only wanted your body for his doll room." Reiji calmly explains.

Hisashi nods. "Thank you. I am truly grateful." With that, a bright white light glowed around her. Her appearance changed to that of a young girl in a white satin gown, her dark brown hair up, bright amber eyes meet Reiji's deep red ones.

She gives a humble bow before smiling. "Thank you. I want to confess before I go. I am very sorry for breaking your antique plate, I just wish I could have told you how much I love you before I left."

"Forget about the plate, it is none of your concern commoner," Reiji responds, he gives a small huff.

Hisashi smiles gently before her face becomes serious. "I wish to give you a warning. Because Ayato made the mistake of not closing the spirit gate after using an Ouija board, there has been some malicious spirits and demons crossover. It would be best to exercise them before things get worse."

"Hah? So what? Can't your friend do that for us?" Ayato asks, not understanding the situation.

"My friend is a Reaper of Death. The only purpose of the Reaper being here was for me. I asked to know who killed me, now I must go. Goodbye." Shortly after, the Reaper slinked back into the shadows, bring Hisashi with him. The two vanished before their eyes.

"So we get an exorcist to purge this place? How ridiculous." Reiji notes. "We just ignore everything and those things will leave on their own."

"I doubt it." Shu comments, making Reiji scowl in response. "We've been ignoring this problem for so long now it's getting tiresome."

"Then how do you propose we go about it?" Shū shrugs in response. Reiji scowls at the elder's lack of a solution.

"Hey maybe if we leave, they'll go too?"

"Ayato can you use your brain for once."

"Che." A giggle was heard. Everyone froze except for Ayato, who recognized the giggle. "Not again, stop laughing at me!" He yells. The giggle became louder until more sounds of laughter joined in. Cackles, child-like giggles, deep maniacal laughter filled the whole room, growing louder and louder. The lights flickering, items nearby started being thrown around the room.

"What the hell? How do you ignore all this Reiji?!" Kanato screams as he dodges books flying about.

"How do you ignore… how to ignore… hehe..." A loud, child-like voice asks sarcastically.

"Shut up! Don't talk to me!" Kanato shrieks. Giggling followed, making the already ill-humored vampire even more peeved.

"Hey.. Ayato… hey…" A familiar voice was heard behind Ayato and Raito.

"Crap. It's back again."

"Hey… hey…" The static voice from before continues to call out.

The twins turn to find the radio from before just a few feet away. "Hey, I thought that thing was destroyed?" Ayato asks Raito.

"It was. We both saw it break." He agreed, carefully watching the repaired radio with shock and confusion.

"Hey.. Ayato~... play with… me… be my… friend… play with me…" The static voice repeated. The radio inched closer to the boys, dragging against the wooden floor.

"Yeah no. I'm out of here." Ayato shouts. Disappearing with Raito following shortly, after seeing a large, globe sized spider crawl over the radio, looking him straight in the eye.

Kanato, having enough of being laughed at, grabs his stuffed bear and disappears. Subaru grabs a chair and throws it at the radio and spider. Everything breaks, the spider dies but not before letting go of an item wrapped up in its thread. The item rolls out of the threads, stopping in front of the albino. Backing away in horror, Subaru quickly decides to follow his older brothers and leave. Seeing his mother's lifeless head once more, this time crying from her eyeless holes was enough to send him fleeing.

Reiji, being stubborn decides to stand his ground. "Enough! I don't know what you are trying to accomplish, but it ends now!" He calls out. The windows behind him rattle loudly before shattering. Glass flying everywhere, he fails to see a large metal pole fly in from outside.

"Move it." Yanking Reiji aside to avoid an accident, Shū heads towards the door.

"Let go of me." Reiji demands, attempting to free his arm from Shū's grasp. Instead, Shū holds on tighter.

"We'll regroup in the Demon world. Let go of your stubborn pride already. We're leaving." Shū urges his brother before they both disappear from the room. Outside the manor, the six regroup and head to the Demon world.

Against Reiji's insistence, they called for several exorcists to rid the manor of their paranormal problems. The cleaning of the manor had to wait until after October thirty-first, so in early November the siblings were allowed to return home. A strict punishment and scolding was settled for Ayato to never mess with ghost-related items again. And Kanato's doll room had one less wax figure. The body of Hisashi was burned along with the box containing her organs from the small grave Kanato had constructed. A new headstone was erected for her, Reiji made sure all the arrangements were taken care of swiftly and efficiently.

"Ah, it's good to be home. Now maybe we can have a better restful days."

"Just as long as you don't bring home any more summoning objects."

"Yeah yeah, trust me I've had plenty of ghost stuff to last me centuries."

"I don't trust you. However, that better be true."

"Shut up already Reiji." Ayato groans.

The six head to their respective rooms to catch up on some well-deserved rest. As their doors close, a chilly mist slinked around the entrance hall. Nearby, a mirror, reflecting the mist suddenly cracked. A deep snicker came from the mist before it recedes from the view of the mirror.

_**HAPPY HALLOWEEN~!**_

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed. I'll do the other two families next two Halloweens. **

**Please leave a review if you want. **


	2. Haunting with the Mukamis

**Hey guys, hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

**I do not own Diabolik Lovers, all rights go to it's creator Reject. *Important - Anything you may recognize from other shows, movies, books, etc. I do not own, is not related and it comes from my imagination. It may be inspired, but is my own work.**

***To distiguish when the spirits/ghost talk, I use " " & italics. Other than the dream scene, hope it helps.**

**Please enjoy!**

* * *

_"Where am I?", asks a young boy. He takes a look around but sees nothing but a thick veil of fog. 'Where are my brothers?' Scanning his surroundings with his blue-gray eyes, Ruki could tell he was alone and that's all he knew. He decided it was not safe to just stand there doing nothing, so he started walking forward into the mist. 'It's so cold… and wet… why?' The soft sound of his feet hitting dirt showed a path as he walked. From what he could tell it led him through a narrow forest. It was still very dark, and Ruki could barely see his hands but he kept on walking._

_Unexpectedly, he felt a chill move down his spine and raise the hairs on the back of his neck, which prompted him to start running. Huffing little puffs of air as he ran, he started hearing loud footsteps from behind him. Ruki ran as fast as he could, but his childlike legs began to feel sluggish. It felt like his pursuer was closing in fast. 'I must keep running… but why… am I not a _… no- what am I?' Ruki felt like his train of thought was slowing down, as the words seemed to blur in his mind. The footsteps sounded closer, he could feel heavy breathing down his back._

_All of a sudden a voice from behind shouted, "Stop! Look out!" Ruki felt himself freezing in his tracks. He wanted to move forward but his next step had no footing. Looking down, Ruki gulps and stumbles backward. He was on the edge of a cliff. He couldn't see below as swirling clouds of dark yellow blocked out the rest. Hearing a deep chuckling behind him, Ruki turned and stood in horror. A loud snapping of jaws sound was heard before he screams._

Gasping, Ruki shot up into an upright position in his recliner, letting go of the novel he had been reading, fall onto the floor. Blinking, he looks around the room. Ruki sighs relieved that he was in his room in the Mukami mansion. "What the hell was that?" Glancing down to look at the book he dropped. 'The History of Cemeteries & Local Legends of Britain' "I guess that's enough reading for one day." Rising from the chair, he picks the book up, starts to his bed, feeling tired after his confusing dream. His room lights up, Ruki pauses before flinching at the sudden thunder crack booming from outside.

Glancing outside the window, the vampire could _s_ee a fierce storm roaring. Ruki chuckles, "So that is what awoke me." He shrugs off any embarrassment that his dream was a nightmare, he wasn't a child anymore. Placing the book on his nightstand, Ruki slips under his sheets. The storm outside gave a vicious cry as the winds howled throughout the day. One could only hope that this ominent disaster gale would pass without much damage to certain gardens or tombstones.

...

"That was some storm earlier, you agree?" Kou asks Yuma as they walk into town, late in the afternoon. Both wore heavy coats, a scarf for Kou, it was crisp with a chilly wind blowing.

"Don't remind me. That typhoon nearly killed my tomatoes and drowned my taters." Yuma groans. "I thought the humans developed something to predict these things ahead of time? What happened to our weather warnings?"

Kou shrugged. "So we buying some tarps for your newly damaged garden?"

"Don't talk like you dislike this. You eat from the garden as much as the rest."

"Hai hai. So which store do we visit?"

"The garden store across from the electronics store," Yuma replies assuredly.

Kou thinks, "The one near the discounted clothing store?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. I think a few of my classmates raved about the cool games from the electronic store. Wanna visit with me?"

"Knock yourself out." Yuma promptly responds shortly.

Kou shrugs. "Okay." Silence follows the two until they reach town. Yuma splits for his destination without a word. Kou heads across the street towards the electronic store. As he walks, he hears a high pitched cackling, thunder rumblings, and howling sounds nearby. Glancing up, the early evening clouds were scattered, the sky was turning a deep orange and red color. The blond idol turns around to find where the sounds were coming from. 'Was that alley always there?' He questions.

Between a bargain clothing store and a mini-mart was an alleyway, where the sounds seemed to be coming from. Surprisingly, the alley was filled with people. Mostly young adults and students gathered outside a store at the end of the path. Curious, he made his way to the front of the story. A rustic black door was open wide to entice visitors to come inside. A large bay window decorated with items inside. Kou was impressed with the fog contained on the shelf behind the glass. The cackling sound came from an ugly, deformed, old woman doll with a painted purple hat, carrying a broom, propped up in front of the door like a doorstop. The doll was ugly but kinda cute. The thunder rumbles and wolf howling came from inside. There was an old house decoration, it looked like a toy dollhouse to the vampire. Lights would flicker behind its windows, making the sounds every few seconds.

"Kyaa~. Isn't the witch cute?"

Kou looks behind him to see a couple walking up to the store. As they attempt to walk inside the story, the witch doll jumps forward, giving a short shriek. The girl jumps in fright, the boy snickers. The doll recedes back into place before cackling once more.

"Quit laughing." She pouts at the boy.

"Still want to go in?" The boy asks, grinning from ear to ear.

The girl huffs. "Of course. That doll just surprised me. Let's go. Maybe they'll have matching costumes for Halloween." She starts to pull him in with her until the witch jumps again. The girl runs inside this time with the boy following.

'Halloween huh? The aristocrats had big parties around the autumn season. Masked balls I remember. Is it the same?' Kou wonders briefly. Pushing aside any nightmares awaiting to emerge deep within, the blond vampire heads in. Inside the small shop, the scent hits Kou first. A strong smell of candles burning. He looks over and sees three purple candles burning behind the register. A mixture of lavender, cloves, and sage were burning for protection. It almost hurt to breathe, but somehow, Kou didn't feel bothered by the scent after standing inside for a few minutes. He starts to look around the shop.

Decorations for Halloween were up front near the window, jars of different items and candles decorated the shelves, ranging from herbs to unusuals like '_bat wings_', '_hair of goblin_', even '_tongues of werewolves_'. As well as books on ghosts, legends, Wiccan, astrology, and fae. Tables full of crystals and rocks sat near the shelves. On the back wall, mirrors and frames of different types and sizes hung. A couple of mirrors had interactive ghosts inside to scare customers. Kou wanders into the back near the mirrors. He looks at a large diamond-shaped mirror. Suddenly he pauses. "What is this?" He moves closer only to wink at his reflection. "Only a handsome, perfect guy." He grins at his self-compliment.

Moving on, he starts to head to the front where the decorations were when something caught his eye once again. This time it was a picture frame. An ornate coppery metal frame, with a vine of four vermilion red roses growing on the side. It looked old, antique maybe? Kou reached for it, taking a better look at the frame, he felt something. Almost like death was attached to the object. Strange. He shrugs it off and heads off to look around the store some more. Fifteen minutes later he stands in line to pay. Carrying the frame from earlier, a decorative knife case, an astrology book, and some decorations to place around the mansion.

"Thank you and have a spooky weekend. Next? Are you ready to check out?" A girl asks behind the counter.

"Yes." Kou moves forward and places his items in front of her. While the cashier rings up the decorations, Kou briefly looks her over. She was slim figured, long black hair reaching down to her waist in a single braid. Her skin was slightly pale, her lips were rosy pink. She had a few gold stars on her right cheek, with a silver crescent moon on her forehead, almost like tattoos.

"Such a lovely picture frame. You have nice tastes." The girl compliments.

Kou chuckles, "Yes, I get that a lot, miss..?"

"Soleil." She replies. "Did you know, this frame is said to be possessed by evil spirits?" She asks while wrapping the frame carefully in wrapping paper.

"This silly object? Come on." Kou replies dismissively.

Soleil smiles, "No, this frame is a copy. The original was lost decades ago. They say a family from Britain died under mysterious circumstances, back during the reign of Queen Victoria. Whoever hangs the frame will ultimately go insane. So," Soleil places the gift bag of items on the counter. "Will you be paying in cash or credit?"

"Cash. If I pay tip, do I get your number in return?" Kou asks suggestively.

Soleil shakes her head. "I have a personal rule on not dating idols. Here's your change. Thank you and have a spooky weekend. Next." She hands over his purchases.

Kou was stunned for a moment. Before he could reply, he was suddenly yanked outside. "Oi!"

"That's what I'm saying. Where have you been?" Kou turns to find Yuma looking pissed.

"Checking out a seasonal shop."

"And buying junk. Ruki won't like this you know."

"Bah. With this stuff, the mansion won't look so drab anymore. Ready to head home?"

Yuma nods. "After we get groceries from the market. Fresh seafood sale tonight."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go." Kou drags Yuma out of the alleyway, forgetting about the cashier, food was more important. The two vampires made their way to the market.

...

Back in the shop, Soleil helps the last of her customers before closing the door and flipping the open sign to closed. "Finally, such a busy day after the rain."

"Hey, Soleil! Have you closed up yet?" A male voice calls from the back of the store.

"Yes, Fudoki. Everyone's gone." She walks to the back of the store, into the storeroom. She finds her companion busily mixing together fresh herbs in a mortar, in which they'll use to restock the herb shelf with the mixtures in the morning. Soleil sits down on a stool across from his table. Sighing in content, the sounds of grinding herbs helps her relax.

"You okay?" Fudoki pauses.

"Yes, just a bit exhausted today." She replies.

"Maybe you should've taken the day off. I would've happily taken your place in the shop today. I mean, you are still pretty exhausted from the ghost summoning last night."

"It's fine," Soleil states softly. "It's not like we were summoning demons and the séance was relatively shorter than usual. My energy didn't drain as much. A good night's rest will be plenty for me."

"Alright." He goes back to mixing. "It's too bad we didn't find the ouija board or candles."

"Don't worry. They'll find their way back." A few minutes passed. "By the way, when did you order Green's Misfortune frame copies?" She asks.

"Green's Misfortune? I didn't order any copies. The original is here to be cleansed next week remember.?"

Soleil suddenly stands from her seat. "Where? Where did you put it?"

Fudoki pauses in his work. "The same place all the cursed items go, on the shelf in the back row labeled _Do Not Touch_. Why?" He gets up to follow her. They passed several shelves in the storeroom before standing in front of the mentioned shelf. On the fourth plank, a spot where no dust gathered was spotted. A metal warning sign was lying on the floor.

"Did anyone come in here?" Soleil questions, picking up the sign.

"No." He responds. "I would have heard. Where do you think the frame could've gone to?"

"I think a customer took it."

Fudoki blinks, "Excuse me?"

"Then again, I didn't feel any malice from it when wrapping. I should have. Odd." She flips the piece of metal around in her hands. "And something else is strange."

Fudoki looks at his companion, she looks back bewildered. "What is it?"

"The ward on this sign is still intact. How did the frame go from this protected shelf to the front of the store?"

"I'm not sure Soleil. That is strange." The two look back at the spot on the shelf. Back inside the shop, one of the three protection candles flickers before quickly snuffing out.

…

The two vampires arrive home with several bags in hand. "Think we went overboard on the fish sale?" Kou looks exhausted as he carries both food and his decorations.

"Way too late now dummy." Yuma replies. Stopping in the foyer of the mansion, he uses one hand to make a short and sharp whistle. A few seconds after a flock of bats arrive. "Place these bags in the freezer, make sure they don't spoil." He commands the familiars. "We'll be in there shortly to make dinner." The familiars took the bags of fish from the duo, heading towards the kitchen. "Now, have you thought of some excuse to tell Ruki?"

"Nah. I'll just wing it. No biggie." Kou shrugs, heading up to his room.

Yuma groans softly at his brother's stubbornness. "Good luck to you." He mutters under his breath.

Kou walks into his room, placing his stuff on his bed. After putting away his jacket and scarf, the vampire starts organizing his items. 'I'll give the case to Azusa after dinner. I'll hang these over the windows in the foyer.' He moves the autumn wreaths over with care. 'As for the black candles, hm.. bleeding candles? Humans have some funny sense of humor. They can replace the ones in the sitting room. As for the rag dolls,' Kou picks up one of the four dolls he had purchased.

"Not very appealing." He mutters. "I can change that." He walks over to his desk, picks up a permanent marker, and starts to draw on the dolls. "There. Now they look like all of us. I'll sneak these into their rooms later. The instructions say to nail these to wood for fun. Again, humans and their peculiar ways." Kou trashes the tags and instructions for the voodoo dolls.

All that is left, was to find a spot to place the frame Kou purchased. He holds up the ornate frame, glancing around the room for a perfect spot. "Oooh, how about here… or here…" After ten minutes of deciding, Kou decides to hang it over his desk. Once secured in place, he opens his drawers to find something good to put in. "It's too bad we don't have a photo of the four of us. Instead… oh." The vampire goes for his school bag instead. "I'll use this." He places a recent promotional photo of his inside. "It fits well. This will have to do until I find my future bride. It would then look perfect." He chuckles to himself.

A knocking sound on his bedroom door interrupts the idol vampire's fantasy. "Come in." He calls. The door opens with Azusa walking in.

"Hey… dinner's ready-"

"Great! I'm starved." Kou happily replies. He starts to leave before turning back. "Oi, wait. I got something for ya." Kou goes back for the knife case and hands it to Azusa, who seems to be standing in a daze.

"Me..?" The shy and quiet vampire looks up to his sibling with surprise. It was rare for the blond to give gifts.

"Yep. You can just pay me back by visiting my next concert." Kou states. He vanishes from the room. Hesitantly, Azusa follows, clutching the case close to him.

…

"I don't like this." Yuma states with unease.

"Then go water something or help," Kou responds.

"Help how? The familiars' are doing all the work while you direct them." Yuma remarks. The blond had enlisted the help of the bats to hang the wreaths over the windows.

"I'm trying to balance the two. Otherwise, it'll look whacky."

"What will look 'whacky'?"

The two freeze before turning to see Ruki standing in between them. "Um…" Yuma utters, he looks to Kou who was also petrified.

"Well? I'm curious. What are you two up to?" Ruki glances at his brothers.

A pitched squeak came from the windows above. Three pairs of eyes look up as the familiars arrange the two wreaths to align accordingly. The bats were asking if they did a good job.

"Where did the autumn decorations come from?" Ruki asks.

Yuma looks to Kou, the idol sighs before putting on a cheery face. "Don'tcha like them? I thought they'd look pretty."

"Next time, ask ahead of time." Ruki states as he stares at the decorations before shifting his gaze over to Kou. "Take them down as soon as your party ends."

Confused, "What party?" Yuma asks.

"Are these not for a party? Something to do with promoting a new album?" Inquires the older vampire.

"No.." Yuma murmurs.

"I was sprucing up the mansion for the holidays. Howl-a-ween is coming. Let's decorate and join the fun." Kou exclaims.

Discontent began to spread across Ruki's face. "Do you miss it? The old days I mean." Ruki asks.

"What no. If you're referring to back in the orphanage then no, I don't."

"Then stop this nonsense. You're not a human brat anymore, instead, you are a strong vampire." Ruki states. "You have done well to put the past behind, now all of a sudden you want to awaken the nightmares that have plagued you so long? What those aristocrats did back then, Kou, you know as well as I do, it was more than playing dress-up. Hiding their cowardice, disgusting, and twisted sickness behind those masks." The older vampire starts to walk away as he speaks. "Halloween is for innocent, naive children who believe in fairies and monsters under their beds. Again, if you want to reminisce of our younger years, particularly yours, please by all means. Otherwise, pack it up." He disappears from the hall.

Yuma and Kou stay behind to mull over their elder brother's words. "That went differently. So, what are you going to do?" Yuma looks to Kou.

"Nothing. He's just stubborn. I'm fine. I'm going to finish my decorating and enjoy the season. The blond vampire declares. Ruki's words stung a little, but he wasn't going to show weakness yet.

"Be careful. Those nightmares may come back."

"Don't they always?"

Inside the elder vampire's room, Ruki exhales softly. 'What am I going to do with him? I try not to revive their hardships and nightmares. Stubbornness runs in all of us it seems. Hm?' Noticing a small rag doll on his bed, he picks it up. It was poorly drawn. "Is this supposed to be me?" Ruki questions to himself before tossing the doll in the trash bin.

…

The next couple of days brought tension between Ruki and Kou. Neither would speak or glance in the other's direction. They even sat a distance apart on the ride to school. Yuma sighs. It was vexing. As soon as the limo drops the family of four off at school, Kou disappears into a swarm of fans, Ruki strides up the stairs to class.

"Ugh. These two." Yuma groans. Azusa looks blankly up at the tall vampire. "Hey, you think you could talk with Kou?" He asks the younger one. Azusa nods. "I'll try to reason with big bro. What a pain these two are-" A loud slamming of a car door was heard from behind. The two turn to find the Sakamakis have come to school. "More trouble. Great." Yuma reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of sugar cubes to devour. He felt calmer eating his favorite snack.

"Should we… go in…?" Azusa's soft voice asks from below.

"Yeah." The duo makes their way into the school, splitting off to their classes.

Ruki stands by a window in his class, tired of avoiding confrontation with his little brother but at the same time, weary of the blond's delusion of being happy during this trivial season. The vampire exhales as he moves to his seat. However, out of the corner of his eye, a shadowy figure from the streets made him pause. From his side view, it gave the impression of a large animal pacing in front of the school gates. Ruki turned to see the shadow fully but it had vanished. 'I must be tired. Maybe some coffee from the vending machine will help me wake up.' Ruki leaves the classroom. A pair of striking red eyes gaze after him from the window glass. The eyes close and disappear as the students file in.

Kou entertains his fans by asking them about the holiday. Asking what he should do for the season. The girls gather around him, delightfully listing off costume ideas, props, and spooky places to visit. With a few of the girls wishing to individually want to go in the haunted areas with him as a couple. The group continued to discuss ideas until the bell suddenly rang for classes to start. The fangirls dejectedly whine as they bid farewell to Kou.

Kou pouts, watching his fangirls leave for class. Once the last girl had left, he begins to make his way down the hall, his mind busies considering the suggestions they had made to him. "I wonder... should I go as a wolf, or as a ghoul?" Or better yet, his manager could help him decide? Nodding to himself, he decided he would let them know before the fan meet next weekend. Continuing down the hall he descended the stairs, making his way to the music room for class.

As he does so, he becomes aware that he was stepping on something thin and soft and definitely alive, when a very loud hissing comes from below him. Glancing down and immediately jumping back, he notices he had stepped on the tail of a cat. Sitting on the fourth step was a curled stray with slick raven fur, who was seemingly glaring at him with mercury colored eyes ablaze. The cat precedes to snarl at the offending vampire, before racing off the steps and into the hall further below.

"What the hell...? How'd a cat get into the school?!" Once the initial shock had worn off and he felt calmer, he resumes heading to his class, stepping over the step that the cat had just vacated. "What a weird evening."

...

The next couple of days were weird for the Mukamis. Misplaced objects maybe, lights going out, the temperature of the building was either too hot or too cold. Their familiars were becoming nervous to enter the mansion. They now were using Yuma's garden as a new roost, much to the latter's displeasure. Yuma grumbles as he shoos a few from his cherry tomatoes and pumpkin patch. "Damn. It's one thing after another. My tools go missing when I need them and these servants think they can sleep wherever." The vampire curses before heading inside the house. Can't do any chores with the garden without proper tools.

"Oi! Has anyone seen my tools? Specifically my shovel, trowel, and weeding gloves?" Yuma calls out to his brothers.

"Please use your inside voice." Ruki calmly replies, appears in the doorway of the sitting room.

"Sorry. I'm just so frustrated by what's been going on lately." Yuma apologies, rubbing the back of his neck. "Have you seen any of my items?"

"Not as of yet." Ruki moves into the sitting room for some comfort reading.

"Ah. I'll go ask Azusa then." Yuma goes off to Azusa's room.

Ruki walks towards the green leathered chairs in the room. 'So much headache these past few days.' He utters a small grunt in displeasure. He had placed a hand into the cushions before seating himself. His hand returns with a gash. Removing the cushion to reveal a hoe beneath. 'Looks like I found one after all. I'll go put it away.' Ruki walks outside towards the greenhouse. He places the work tool on an empty table.

As the vampire heads back inside, he senses something wrong. The hairs on the back of his neck and arms begin to stand. He pauses to look around. Nothing but plants and veggies. No bats though, they were flying just a minute ago. Clearing his throat, Ruki calmly convinced himself that it was just a chill in the breeze. A rustle from the bushes behind him made the vampire jolt. A cool wind follows. 'Just the wind. Yep.' He starts walking again when he trips on a snag in the dirt. Stumbling, he looks back to find a foot- no pawprints around the area he stood.

The pawprints were the size of a large dog, a wolf maybe? But it was strange. The path of the pawprints shows that whatever was here started right behind him and led into the house. "Strange. I didn't notice these before. I'll let Yuma know to get rid of this varmint." Ruki goes inside the mansion. A low growling from the bushes sounded after the vampire left, followed by a deep chuckling.

...

The next morning, Azusa was washing his face early. He had risen before the others. It was strange to him. He blamed it on a peculiar dream he had. But, the young vampire had no memory of his dream, only that he awoke shivering in a cold sweat. 'I might go back to nap after cleaning up.' He thought to himself. 'Last night's dinner, maybe I ate too much.' Azusa gathers his things for a warm shower. Relaxing as the scalding water touched his unbandaged wounds made him feel better.

As he allowed himself to soak, he didn't notice the steam from the hot water begin to rise and change color. The steam changed into a rosy hue. It covered the bathroom mirror, making it impossible to see through. Azusa turns off the water after a couple of minutes of soaking and goes to dry off. Afterward, he notices the mirror had fogged up a great deal, in a strange color.

"Weird." Using a clean hand rag, Azusa proceeds to wipe away the steam. As he does, something felt wrong. The vampire couldn't place why except a strong scent of iron filled the bathroom. His eyes widened as he wiped the glass. Directly behind him, he could see from the mirror that the wall was bleeding. Long streams of blood were trailing down. His eyes looked up to see it was seeping from the ceiling.

Azusa turned around but it vanished. The walls and ceiling were free of the red liquid, the smell was gone too. Azusa was confused. He knew what he saw and smelled. But why was it there? Turning back to the sink, he gasped. The pink steam was replaced with writing. In deep red, _"ARE YOU LONELY? WE ARE TOO. FRIENDS?" _Blinking, he remains motionless for a minute before bolting out the door. The message on the glass changes. _"YES THEN? GOOD."_

...

In another part of the mansion, Kou snoozes away in dreamland. As he sleeps, he feels something lightly tapping his leg. Brushing it off, he rolls on his side. A couple of minutes pass and that feathery touch is felt again on his shoulder. 'Ugh. Stop with the pranks guys.' Kou tells himself as he starts to awaken from his slumber. The feathery touches step along his neck to his jaw. Tired, Kou swats at his chin, feeling as he hits something soft. Groaning, he sits up to tell off the first person he saw. No one was in his room. Puzzled, he looks around for the item he brushed away. A brown button sat near his hand. "What..?" The blond reaches for the item then shrieks as he scrambles off his bed. Not a button but a fairly large spider scurried away.

Whimpering, he quickly strips the bed of sheets so the spider couldn't hide. Sighing, Kou felt sleepy again. Wrapping himself like a burrito in the blankets, he sits down on the bed. A jingling of a bell was heard. He looks up towards the sound before screaming in fear once again. Whilst he screams, struggling to get out of his blankets, all Kou remembers seeing is a ghostly white face, curly rainbow hair, a big red nose, sharp white teeth, and a hauntingly child-like giggle. The vampire manages to free himself and races out the door. **Wham! **He bumps into something and screams once more.

"Shut up! Quit screaming already."

Kou stops at the sound of a familiar voice. "Ruki!" He cries out happily.

"Inside voice please." The elder sternly replies.

"Spi- sp- spi..." Kou stutters. "Spider.. huge.. and a scary guy.. child.. no.. monster." He whimpers as he points to his room.

"Seriously? You're a vampire. I don't understand how little bugs scare you still." Nevertheless, Ruki heads into Kou's room. It was empty and clean, save for the mess of blankets on the bed. "Where is the person you saw?" He asks, opening the closets to find no one.

"I swear. There was someone here after I found the spider." Kou says as he hugs the wall corner in fear.

"And where did you find the spider?"

"On the bed."

Ruki looks and sure enough, a brown spider sat on a pillow. A creak and tapping sound was heard followed by a yelp. "Calm down. It's just the wind. You left the window open. That's how the spider got in." Ruki grabs the insect and casually tosses it outside before closing the window.

"But I didn't open it. I left it closed." Kou states.

"Well, it's closed now. Back to bed with you."

"Can I sleep with you?"

"No." Ruki shoots down firmly. Kou pleads. Claiming he was still spooked by what happened. Ruki sighs. "Fine. Just don't hog the blankets."

"Yay!" Kou grabs his sheets and rushes off towards his older brother's room.

Ruki follows, pausing to glance at the photo frame over his sibling's desk. "Interesting." He compliments the antique frame. "Different design, but the half red and green roses are a nice touch." Ruki leaves. The glow of the moonlight shines over the frame. A third red rose slowly turns green, cracks start to appear on the metal as it too slowly changes into a silver color, and the photo starts to fade dark gray.

...

Later that evening the four vampires sit in their limo to school. Everyone had dark circles around their eyes and were very exhausted. "Damn it, never felt this tired before. Even after a six-hour concert." Kou yawns.

"Lucky you. Your screaming all day was a headache." Yuma replies in a grumpy manner. "Seriously save your vocal training in the studios."

"I was about to be bitten by a poisonous spider!"

"A harmless brown spider." Ruki corrected him. "The least it would have felt like a papercut." He assures him.

"Yo? You guys make up?" Yuma asks.

Ruki opens his mouth to respond. "No-"

"Yep! I mean he let me sleep with him even though he could've said no." Kou replies happily hugging his older sibling from the side.

'I did refuse.' Blue-gray eyes look at the blond plainly. "You're my family. I'm always here for you. My apologies for starting this stupid dispute in the first place." Ruki humbly apologizes.

Kou continues hugging him with a smile. "Same. I'll try to be more considerate next time."

"Nice reunion however, we've arrived. We can celebrate on the way back." Yuma states, opening the door to get out.

"Yeah. Maybe go out for breakfast?"

"It would still be a little early until the humans open."

"Aww. Yeah, but somewhere will be open."

"We'll see Kou."

The trio continues to discuss plans for after school. They momentarily forgot about Azusa who fell asleep during the car ride. A familiar wakes him up, he slowly opens his eyes. He looks around to see he was alone in the vehicle. Grabbing his bag, the vampire drowsily drags himself into the school. Inside he looks around for his brothers. The hallways were mildly empty, save for a few students mingling. 'Where did they go? It's not like them to leave without me.' Azusa starts to worry. As he slowly wanders, he bumps into a trio of students.

"Oi! Watch where you're going freak." One of the students, a young male with short brown hair, tells Azusa before shoving him to the ground. They walk a few feet from Azusa before stopping to laugh.

"Haha. Nice one Justin." One of the two girls of the group praised her companion.

"Yeah. That guy was such a pussy. Do you see all the bandages, Mel?" The boy named Justin asks with repugnancy.

"A freak indeed," Mel responds scornfully. She had long brown hair tied in two pigtails. "What, does he think he'll get more attention for being suicidal? Chrissy?"

"Old news. Next, he'll run away to join a cult or a deviant caravan." The second girl named Chrissy laughs. Tossing her long wavy, light brown hair out of her eyes.

"Caravan? Like a lying, conning gypsy?" Justin snickers.

"I'll bet you twenty yen that the loser back there runs off to become a gypsy Chrissy." Mel challenges.

"Make it fifty and a date, I might consider."

"Gay! Ew, no way~!" The trio continues to cackle. Their laughter echoes through the hall.

Azusa picks himself up and rubs his head. After being knocked headfirst to the ground, he felt more awake. A crummy aspect of being a vampire came with the ability to hear loud and obnoxious people. Their rudeness stung. 'If only they stayed to kick me or something, that would be better.'

"Hey look Justin, the gypsy stood up."

"Maybe you should go back over and knock him back down."

"Make him grovel."

'Wait... Gypsy? Could they be.. my old friends?' Azusa turns to walk up to the dreadful trio. Their backs were to him as he approached. "Excuse me.." He softly calls to them.

"Do you hear something Chrissy?" Mel asks without moving.

"No. Do you, Justin?"

"Just a lame gnat. Ignore it and it'll leave."

Azusa ignores their jeers and tries again, a little louder. "Excuse me... are you... my friends..?"

"What? Us be friends with the likes of you? How low do you think of us being friends with trash like you, Azusa?!" The trio whips around to face Azusa. For the second time today, he was shocked. He wobbly steps back horrified. Where the students' faces would be were only skulls. "_WHY WOULD WE BE FRIENDS WITH A REPULSIVE OAF LIKE YOU?"_ They ask in unison. As they spoke, a mixture of brown and red liquid seep from their mouths. _"NO ONE LIKES YOU. NO ONE CARES. EVERYONE ABANDONS YOU. NO ONE WANTS YOU. USELESS AZUSA!"_ They start to chant.

"No..." Azusa repeats, closing his eyes and covering his ears from the lies. "Shut up. I'm not useless." He cries out.

"Be quiet! Your awful voice is giving Teddy a headache." A cranky voice screeches from behind.

Azusa opens his eyes, looking up, the three students were gone. Behind him stood a very annoyed purple-haired vampire with more dark circles than usual. "Kanato... it's you.." Azusa softly exclaims in relief.

"Don't be happy half breed. So stupid."

Azusa nods. Glancing at the other vampire, he notices something unusual. "Kanato-san... why is... that on you..." He asks, wondering why the teddy bear was taped to Kanato's person.

"Don't ask stupid questions!" Kanato suddenly yells. "No one steals Teddy and makes him into stew!" With that, Kanato vanishes, leaving Azusa more confused.

...

History class was such a bore, Yuma was already sleeping from weariness. Using his arms as pillows, he fell quickly into his dreams. He felt sluggish within his dream. Tiredly, he tries moving but felt like his arms and legs were weighted down. He hears a faint sound of child-like giggles. He shakes his head and blinks. Suddenly he was in some woods. 'Those trees don't look familiar. They're dead and rotten.'

"He's awake! Bear's awake!"

'Bear? Wait, that's me.' Yuma looks around to see familiar faces. The faces of his childhood gang, everyone was gathered around him.

"Yo guys! I missed you."

"What's he talking about?" One of the children asks, the others shrug.

"Huh? What's going on?" Yuma looks at the group confused. "Where's Luck?"

The children start to laugh. Suddenly they stop, their eyes become cold and dead. "Luck? Don't you remember Bear?" One of the children asks from behind. "Luck's dead. You killed him."

"What? Hell no! I would never!" Yuma angrily shouts.

"Then why is the gun in your hand?" The child asks. Yuma looks down to find a rifle in his lap with his hand resting on the trigger.

"No... it's not mine-"

"You're a traitor Bear. And we must deal with you." The children all reach in their pockets.

"No. It was the military. The military killed Luck!"

"Come on, time to come clean. You replaced us so we must teach you a lesson." Each child pulls out a syringe with a long needle and pitch-black liquid in the tube. "You were supposed to die with us. But you survived and replaced us."

"Oi! Don't come closer!" Yuma shouts. He trembles at the sight of the length of the needles. He begins to sweat. "Put those things away!"

"Come. Join us Bear. Luck's waiting for you." They move in closer, ready to stab him. As Yuma struggles beneath them, something from behind the trees catches his attention. A group covered in rags, stood behind to watch the struggle. He couldn't see their faces well, except he could feel that the strangers were smiling.

"Edgar!" A female voice suddenly shouts from above.

Yuma jolts awake. Breathing heavily, he glances around the room to notice it was empty.

"Ya-ho! School's out, let's go Yuma." Kou peeks into the classroom. "You alright? You look pale." He asks with concern.

"I'm fine." Yuma stands suddenly. "Let's go." He rushes out of the room. Kou follows closely behind. The two reach the limo as Ruki comes out.

"What's the hurry?" He asks jokingly.

"We're hungry," Kou replies.

Ruki moves to get in the vehicle but stops. "Hey, where's Azusa?"

"No clue. Haven't seen him since this evening."

"Don't go anywhere. I'll go find him." Ruki states.

"Okay~! Hurry back."

Ruki heads back inside. The school felt empty now. Dawn was approaching but it was still very dark inside the dimly lit halls. 'I'll check the nurse's office first.' He decides. As he walks, he starts to hear footsteps from behind him. He looks to see nothing as he continues down the hall. As he continues, a whispering deep voice was heard; _"Arrogant snob..."_

Ruki stops. "Who are you? Come out." He calls. It was silent. Then something moved out of the corner of his eye. A shadowy shape of a rather large creature, almost the size of a deer. A soft muffled growling was heard. Ruki tries to turn and face the creature but the shadow moves with a snarl. "Stop and face me!" He commands.

A deep chuckling was heard, "_Maybe... soon._"

Then there was silence again. Ruki was baffled. He could sense danger and his vulnerability from this unusual creature. Something about this thing wasn't right. Remembering about Azusa, he strides to the nurse's office to find the young vampire bandaging up. He quickly drags Azusa out to the limo where the other two impatiently wait. As they drive off, Ruki swears he could hear faint howling over the sound of Kou's loud car karaoke. Dread crept over him as they drove off.

...

The following week, things looked grimmer. For Azusa, the dreadful trio returned to haunt his dreams with their taunting, often in the middle of an empty cobblestone street with thunder resounding loudly around them. The writing in blood on the walls always appeared when he was alone. It disturbed him, the writing would speak all knowingly about his brothers, agreeing with the trio often. Yet, it gave him morbid comfort. _"If you stole the loud one's mounted picture, he would reward you Azusa. Or destroy the plants of the hot-tempered one." _

"What... no... I have... taken from them... before... but..."

_"DON'T YOU MISS IT AZUSA? THE BEATING, THE FEELING OF STEEL SLICING THROUGH YOUR SOFT, COLD FLESH?" _

The young vampire sat on his bed in thought. It was true, it has been a while since someone or his brothers have hurt him. The wait has been excruciating, to say the least. Feeling pain made him happy, his brothers didn't understand but each of them has their own ways of feeling satisfied. However, beating up the youngest wasn't fun for them. "I want..."

_"YES? WILL YOU MAKE US ALL HAPPY?"_

"I want... them to... hurt me but... not to... hate me..." He concludes.

_"HOW PITIFUL. WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO CORRECT YOU ON. BLINDED BY THEIR EMPTY PROMISES, NO WONDER THEY ABANDON YOU OFTEN. DO NOT WORRY, OUR PRECIOUS PUPPY."_

For Kou, he had to cancel his fan meet due to unexpected circumstances. His staff reported that the meeting hall caught fire after they had sat up their equipment. The venue was shut down for repairs. On top of that, his manager was in the hospital for crashing near the mansion. Kou visited his manager after skipping class, he asked what happened. The staff member explained that someone was standing in the middle of the road, so they tried to avoid the person and crashed. "It was so scary, before passing out, I remember seeing the same person in the rearview mirror, they were grinning."

"Dang. It's such a shame. I was looking forward to my skit with my fans." Kou sighs as he lays on his bed. As well as his fan meet canceled, the wolf outfit he bought was torn up. He had left it on his bed and stepped out for a few minutes. When he returned, the costume was hanging on a tree branch outside his window, ripped and torn. With the unpredictable events in the mansion, Kou had diligently worked hard for this, now all that effort was wasted. "Well, no use crying over an empty stomach. Food always is the best for situations like these."

He rises from his mattress and starts to walk out of his room. He hears a screech from outside, turns to see a couple of the bats frantic outside. Exhaling, he moves to go see what the fuss was about. Unlatching the window, Kou opens his mouth to question the animals' behavior, but they fly off as quickly as they came. "Geez, damn familiars. What they want anyway?" He starts to close the window as a large gust of icy wind blasts into the room. Knocking contents off his desk and bed, it makes the picture frame wobble. "No no no. Don't fall!" He moves to catch the frame as the wind continues to blow inside.

Catching the item, the small tempest calms down enough for Kou to close the window. "That was a close one." He goes to hang the metal mount back on the wall. "The hell? What happened to this?" He nearly drops the frame in shock, the beautiful antique piece of furniture had a completely different design than a couple of weeks ago. The once coppery metal was now silvery and brittle. Cracks could be seen around the borders. The vine of red roses was now a dark, evergreen color. The photo he had placed inside was gone. Or rather it looked as if someone painted it black.

"Someone must have messed with it. Damn it." He carries the frame with him to confront his siblings.

...

"I have no idea of what you're accusing me of." Yuma says.

"Very funny, now where's my frame? And the picture?" Kou demands.

"No clue. I haven't been to your room."

"You were just there the other day with a rake!" The two start to argue loudly over a couple of pieces of metal and a picture. Behind them, sitting at the kitchen table, Azusa quietly watches. He clenches his fists together, hindering the aching desire to go and falsely claim responsibility. The rage those two could do to him, it almost was unbearable to put off. The young vampire had decided what to do. He gets up and heads towards the kitchen, maybe something sharp or hot could help.

Inside the kitchen, Ruki prepares dinner for everyone. Tonight's menu was curry and meat stew. A loud crashing sound from the dining room almost made him drop his pot of stew. "Those two. Do they not possess a brain?" He shakes his head, mixing the curry before heading to the dining room. **Thump!** 'Huh? Why did that sound like it was coming from the ovens?'

Ruki glances towards the ovens, the switch was off so why? He reaches a hand to the handle to open it up and see what was inside. 'A rack probably fell inside.' He told himself. Gripping the handle, he opens up the top oven door and was greeted with immense heat from the flames inside. Ruki backs up covering his face. He hears a familiar deep chuckle. Lowering his arms, he sees a large black dog crawl out of the oven of flames. The dog was huge. The beast was the size of a horse, with pearly white teeth and striking red eyes. It had a lean build, slender legs with a long tail able to wrap around its body twice fold. It's fur, dark as soot and scruffy from head to rump, it flutters as if wind surrounds the beast.

_"What's wrong brat, you asked for an audience with me."_ The beast growls. Ruki stares at the creature, terrified by its size and threatening aura it possessed.

"What are you?" He manages to question.

_"Me? I have many names. There are those who call me a Black Shuck, a Barghest, a Bogey Beast, a Skriker. Or even a Grim."_ The beast gives a sinister grin. _"You can refer to me as Black Dog peasant boy."_

"You have very good Japanese for a British beast," Ruki observes. "Why are you here?" The shock was beginning to wear off.

_"Naturally. Following my prey and learning new tongues is a necessity. Finding such weaklings playing immortal beings here, amusing."_

"Playing? I assure you," Ruki regains his confidence. "We are not-"

_"Puppets? Hahaha. You speak so boldly youngster. A fool who lacks compassion and is pessimistic, truly you scare the wits out of me."_ The beast howls with laughter. It's long, shadowy tail whips around with such force, it knocks over the pot of stew. _"On top of which, the puppets have become the martyrs of a higher power. Your soul will be delish."_

"Excuse me? An unruly beast such as yourself has no idea of who we are." 'Father will hear of this.' Ruki makes a mental note to send their creator, KarlHeinz a message about this beast.

_"Oooo, going to cry to daddy over a spill?"_ The Black Shuck creeps forward, cornering Ruki. Astonished by the creature, the vampire backs up instinctively until he feels a solid wall._ "I didn't think you were a child that needed hand-holding. Such a disappointment from the oh so scary vampire. But you are a half-vampire, so you are powerless against the maestro." _

"Maestro? Who is this person?"

The Black Shuck locks it's shimmering red eyes to the blue-gray eyes of the vampire, so close Ruki could smell the scent of rotting corpses and graveyard soil on its breath. _"My prey will show himself very soon. My feast will be one for the ages. Are you excited? I will take excellent care of you. I'll make sure my teeth will sink into your flesh with blistering heat. Enough so to cover the shameful branding, I will give you this salvation." _

"Ruki?" A soft voice was heard from the doorway. Azusa stood concerned. "Are you... okay?"

"Azusa. Stay- where did it go?" The black beast dog was gone. Even the spilled stew, it was back on the stove, bubbling over. "Ah shit." Ruki goes over to stir the pot and turns off the heat. "Can you get the table ready Azusa? I'll be out in a minute."

Azusa nods and retrieves the tableware for dinner. After he left, Ruki looks around the room to find he was alone. He slams a fist to the wall behind him. "That demon, how could it know? Damn it back to hell." Sucking his teeth, Ruki exhales to relax and think. 'That was odd though. Martyr and maestro? What the hell was that.. thing talking nonsense about?'

Azusa sets the table up carefully. The two of them were still having fits over the portrait. He couldn't hear them. All he could hear were whispers and murmurs from around him. He gazes at the thin red candles sitting in their holders on the table. They burn a soft orange glow, Azusa slowly becomes in tranced. "They'll do… I believe… they will… like these…"

...

Yuma, like Azusa, has also been having nightmares. The children chasing him with needles, even the leader, who he once looked up to, rejecting his existence even in death. Every so often, a faceless couple would appear to either stop the children or be stopped by the mob behind the trees. Yuma felt a longing whenever they appeared, not sure why he felt a connection with the strangers.

After dinner, Yuma could feel a drowsiness start to come over. He felt too sleepy to head back to his room so he crashed on the couch in the sitting room. As he drifts off to dream, he hears the woman calling again. "Edgar... Edgar..."

'Woman I don't know an Edgar... Stop calling me by that name.'

"Edgar... You must leave. You're in danger." The faceless woman appears to him.

Yuma was confused. He tried to ask her what she meant but found he had no voice. Behind the woman appears the frame and picture Kou had a couple of weeks ago. The roses quickly turned green and the photo of Kou shifted to a monochrome portrait of a group of women. The women were all wearing old-style dresses, the collars fit high on their necks, their skirts a bit frilly but thin around the upper portion of their bodies and their sleeves were puffy. There was one gentleman sitting in the middle of all the ladies. He was a young man in his thirties, Yuma guessed. He wore a high waistcoat with a top hat sitting in his lap.

Yuma noticed that all the women were each wearing a choker with a rose pendant. As he observes the portrait, it began to change again. This time the women fade until they are nothing more than skeletons in clothing with the gentleman the same, but with one difference. Yuma couldn't help but stare at the man's face which had now morphed into an evil look. The man was now grinning with a disturbing look.

"Run Edgar run!" The woman's cries awoke him from the dream. Yuma gasped for breath as he thought about what he just saw.

"That's it. That thing has to go!" Yuma states as he gets up and leaves the room.

...

"But why~?"

"Quit complaining, I already told you why." Yuma grumbles. "Because this thing is weird and creepy." After his nap, he had gone into Kou's room, grabbed the frame, and wrapped it up in newspapers, then stuffing it in his school bag before heading out the door. Kou followed, begging to have the item back. The tall vampire refused, intending on getting the money back for the item. "Where's that damn shop?"

"Over by the mini-mart and discount store." Kou reluctantly mumbles.

The two head to the location of the shop only to stop short. "Where was it again?"

"That's impossible. It was right here."

The two stand in front of the two stores only to find the alleyway wasn't there. Yuma spots a worker from the mini-mart, taking out the trash. "Oi. What happened to the alleyway?" He calls to the worker.

"What alleyway? There's never been one here before."

"There was one just two weeks ago, are you blind?"

"Mister I've worked in this area all my life. In my entire thirty years here I can honestly say there has been no alley anywhere near here. Good evening to you." The worker goes back inside the store, leaving the two vampires dumbfounded.

"Now can you give me back the frame?" Kou asks.

"Tch." Taking the time to think for a moment, he rushes off to a different location.

"Where are you going now?"

"The library. They have public records, if you remember the name of the shop, we can find it there. Knowing you, you probably mixed up your locations."

Kou groans, he wanted to retort but he was having to run to keep up with his brother. The two were able to access the public library an hour before closing time. They dug through the public records of businesses but came up empty.

"Ugh." Yuma lets his head fall onto the table.

"Same. I've never read so much and most of it was useless." Kou agrees, tired of searching.

"If only you could remember the name of the shop."

"I don't remember seeing a name."

"Excuse me." The librarian walks by the table. "The library will be closing in fifteen minutes."

The two vampires nod. "Understood." The librarian walks off, Yuma gets up to put the records away.

"Come on, let's get this back to the records room and go home."

"Yeah yeah." Kou helps carry the papers. "Oof." He grunts, knocking a book off the shelf nearby. He pays no attention to the fallen item.

"Right. We still need to throw out this item." Yuma said once they returned to the table.

"Seriously?"

"Yes seriously. Hey, I told you to put everything back." He points to the book lying on the table.

"I did. I don't remember this being here before." Kou moves closer to the table to read the title. "Cursed Items of Britain. What is- woah."

The book automatically opens in front of them. Flipping pages on its own, stopping on a single page labeled, Green Ring Killer. "Hey, this looks like the exact frame. The cashier told me mine was a copy. Is this the original?" Kou asks, looking at one of the two pictures in the book. He picks up Yuma's bag and takes the frame out. Unwrapping it, then placing it beside the book. "Except for the cracks, this is a perfect match." The idol states lost for words at the detail in the picture.

The first page had two photos, the second page gave content for the two pictures. One image had a picture of the frame, the second was a picture of many women gathered around a man. "I recognize this." Yuma says, point to the picture.

"Huh? You know these people?"

"Not directly. Don't ask. What's the information say?"

The two start to read;

_The Green Ring Killer, an infamous serial killer, who was a notorious womanizer. A doctor by day, killer by night. The Green Ring Killer was the fourth son of an unnamed duke of western London. He was a popular counselor, teacher, and mentor to all the young ladies. The young gentleman often took the rebellious, timid, neglected, and unappealing young girls under his wing. Providing them with an education, a place of safety from harmful homes, and overall teaching them to be proper wives. _

_Sometimes the young doctor would adopt orphans and bring them to his summer cottage on the outskirts of Lancaster. He would also teach them to write and do household chores, they would go to be the servants of the home, attending to the needs of the young girls whilst they stay at the cottage. The young gentleman often gave gifts to his lady friends, a choker with a green-gold rose. The items in question were later found to be layered with arsenic. Occasionally, he would bring the young girls to his summer cottage for lessons, families would be at ease with the steady letters from their daughters living away from home for long periods of time. _

_Despite this, one family grew suspicious of the doctor and went to pay their daughter a visit at the cottage. They were astonished to find the house was empty and the residents were nowhere to be found. The family alerted the constables and found the doctor in a secret room underneath the stables. The young doctor had been practicing dark magic and devil worshiping for years, using the young girls as sacrifices for immortality. Many of the girls had been dead for some time. The young orphans he adopted, acquired how to imitate the deceased girls' handwritten letters to be continuously sent home to their families. _

_The doctor was arrested on the spot and taken back to London to be tried and hanged. His last words were; "I kept my promise, I taught them to be captivating and faithful brides. Alluring yet impartial to their devilish husbands. May they be forever joined in hell where they belong." The missing bodies of the young girls were never found, some suggested they were buried or burned. The orphans he had raised all committed mass suicide in the basement of the stables on the same night the Green Ring Killer was hung. The ornate frame is one of the Green Ring's possessions from his cottage on the outskirts of Lancaster. No one has ever kept it more than a few days as the frame is said to bleed, crack, change colors, and make any portrait haunted. _

Yuma and Kou glance at each other. "I think we need to show this to the others."

"Good idea." The two manage to sneak the book out of the library. They left the frame behind as they rushed home. In the stillness of the library, the frame started to shake. It rattled as if something inside was attempting to come out. Suddenly a long black ribbon snakes its way towards the frame, wrapping tightly around it, ceasing its movements. Shadows from around the room crept slowly towards the frame, engulfing the item whole until it disappeared from the table.

"Merow." An ebony cat with lustrous mercury eyes appeared from behind a shelf. "Good work Rune." A pair of cloaked figures come behind the cat. The feline walks to the pair, jumping into a pair of long slender arms. "It is time to go. We must prepare for the consequences if they don't survive." One of the cloaked figures tells the other. The two and the cat walk into the shadows and disappears.

...

While Yuma and Kou were out, Ruki spends his time in the library, studying up on the Black Shuck that visited him. "Damn it. Why am I spending time chasing myths? I-" He hears a clanging sound outside the room. Placing his book down, he goes out to investigate. He finds Azusa fumbling with a box. The young vampire was knelt down trying to pick up glass shards around a white powder.

"Azusa. What are you doing, stop that." Ruki tells him. When Azusa didn't listen, he goes over and lifts him up away from the shards. "Stop, you'll have glass all inside you. What is this?"

"Chalk… for a class… assignment…" He mumbles loud enough for Ruki to hear.

"Alright, just ask for help next time if something's too heavy for you." Ruki lifts the box, finding it very heavy as well as something fragrant coming from the box. "Let's go put this in your room, shall we? The familiars can clean this mess up for you." He carries the box up to Azusa's room. Azusa follows, looking back at the small pile of chalk powder in remorse.

…

"Oi! Ruki, Azusa! We got something!" Yuma calls out as he bursts through the front door.

"Inside voices please!" Ruki calls back from the library. Kou and Yuma rush through the library door to meet with their brother. "Don't run either." He sighs, closing the books again.

"Yeah yeah, that can all wait. Look." Kou holds up the book they stole from the public library.

Ruki raises an eyebrow. "Excuse me, what is that?" The duo takes some time to explain things. Pointing out the page in the book that has a photo of the frame Kou bought along with the dreams Yuma had been having. "You expect me to believe we're being haunted?" Ruki questions as he reads over the page.

"Well duh." Kou rolls his eyes. He stops short before quickly turning his head, not wanting to face Ruki's glare of disrespect.

"I know this is hard to believe, heck I'm still not over this book flipping pages on its own but it happened right in front of us," Yuma says, trying to convince him.

Ruki shakes his head before finding something in the context. "Wait a minute." He takes the book with him to the bookshelf he previously stood near. Opening up his research book on England's mythical creatures. "Lancaster… Black Shuck…" He mutters to himself. Surprised to find that the name comes from the region. 'That can't be a coincidence.'

"Ruki?" Kou calls out, curious about what he had found.

The door opens to the library, the trio turns to find Azusa coming inside with a tray of tea. "Welcome home… I made tea… would you… like some…?" He asks, carefully setting down the tray on a coffee table.

"Yummy." Kou walks over to find a dark brown liquid staring back at him from the cup. It had an earthy odor. "Um.. you sure this isn't coffee little bro?"

Azusa shakes his head no. "It's something… my classmates… say relaxes… I like it… please… try it… brothers…"

"Well," Kou looks back at his cup unsure.

"Well drink up." Yuma commands as he picks up his cup and starts to drink.

"Fine." Kou sips his as well.

"Hm.. needs more sugar." Yuma drops a handful of his sugar cubes inside, swirling it to mix.

Azusa walks up to Ruki with a cup. "Ruki… please try… some…"

Ruki looks up from his reading and notices his younger brother with the teacup. "Very well." He takes the cup and sips from it. "It's okay. Not sure if it's the best thing ever."

Azusa nods, he expected criticism. Ruki walks over towards his brothers. "Um.. can everyone… follow me..?" Azusa calls out, the three turn to look at him. "I… have something… to show… a project… please…?"

"Wow, this is a first. You're never this bold." Yuma laughs wholeheartedly. "Gaining some confidence are we?" Azusa pauses before nodding at the statement. "Count me in. Whatcha got?" Yuma walks out the door with Azusa as the other two choose to stay behind and talk.

"Weird. Azusa's not usually the confident type." Kou notes.

Ruki agrees. "He's finally starting to grow up."

"Yeah." Kou takes another sip of the tea before sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Yeah nope. Not finishing that." He pours the remainder out in a flower pot nearby.

"Hey, that's rude and… messy." Ruki goes to stop him but suddenly feels fatigue. He sees Kou looking back tired as well before shutting his eyes.

...

"YOU GAVE THEM TOO MUCH AGAIN PUP! WAKE THEM UP!"

"Sorry.."

Ruki hears from a distance, Azusa apologizing to someone who had multiple voices, or were there several people in the room? He couldn't tell, his head was spinning and the voices sounded muffled. 'Azusa... what are you doing? Who are you talking to?' The scent of roses interrupted his train of thought, waking him from his sleep. Opening his heavy eyelids to find a small flask being waved in front of him. 'Smelling salts..?'

"They… awake now…"

"GOOD. NOW BURN THE SANDALWOOD AND ABSINTHE SPIRIT IN THE BRAZER. DON'T MOVE THE DOLLS YET PUP."

Ruki looks up at Azusa to see his face was blank as always, but his eyes were dull. He hears a rustling from behind him, he turns slowly as his body felt stiff and found Kou and Yuma behind in a similar manner. Both had cloths tightly wrapped around their mouths to prevent them from speaking. Ruki looks down to find he too also had a cloth around his mouth. His mind was becoming clearer as he looked around to find he was inside a two-layer circle drawn on the ground. Long slender black candles were aligned perfectly around the outer circle. They were centered inside the foyer. 'The chalk from earlier. This isn't a school project.'

_"Right you are little boy." _

'The Black dog. Where..' Ruki looks around until his eyes fell on a red glow from the window. His eyes widen when realizing the beast had grown again, this time one massive eye was looking into the glass from the outside. Ruki could only guess that the beast was enormous. 'What do you mean?'

_"The maestro is coming. The preparations are almost complete. Soon, once the moon has fully risen on this night, All Hallows Eve, I shall feast upon your flesh and soul." _The Black Shuck replies.

'But it's still a week before Halloween. Unless… no.. not possible that we've been asleep for an entire week.' Ruki hears the beast's laughter ring through his head as he assumes. A soft scent wafts towards him as he thinks. 'Not possible... why is Azusa..' The stinging scent was making his nose hurt and head feel dizzy.

_"Your clan member is no more. The followers of my prey have made sure to keep him tightly in their grasp. Death awaits all who fall into their trap." _

"PUP ARE YOU DONE YET? PLACE THE VERVAIN AROUND THE CIRCLE NOW."

"Yes…" All three pairs of eyes watch as Azusa pulls out a container of light brown powder. He goes to sprinkle the powder around the circle when he stops. He turns to look behind him and steps aside.

'Is he here? KarlHeinz?' Ruki guesses only to be confused when a tall male figure with no solid form appears to glide across the floor to the circle.

"Is this ready yet?" A deep voice with a rich British accent was heard from the figure.

"No.." Azusa replies. Something flung him back against the wall.

"HOW DARE YOU NOT RESPECT THE MASTER! INSOLENT WRETCH!" The voices cried out.

The voices seemed to becoming from all around. The scent of iron was becoming apparent as well. Ruki notices a lot of blood pools built around the edges of the ceiling, the liquid flows more heavily in tune with the voices.

"That is quite alright. Who is the body I am to take?" The figure asks.

Azusa slowly stood, clutching the jar carefully. He points to Kou, who was sitting in the center of the two circles. "Him. He is popular with girls."

"Excellent." The slightly translucent man smiles at the target.

'Azusa we've had our differences before but this is a new low.' Kou growls. His right eye shines red underneath his bangs. 'Wait. Is he possessed by this man?'

Yuma felt fed up. 'I don't know what's going on but I need to knock some sense into him, the fool. Then I'll beat the crap out of these people.' As the ghostly figure comes closer to the circles, Yuma recognizes him. 'The man from the portrait. The Green Ring Killer. The hell's he trying to do to us?'

"It has been over a hundred years. With the body of a vampire, I shall be able to continue to live forever and continue to give Satan all the unpleasant of the women as his brides. Then only the divine may continue to strive, that would lead us to a paradise! A paradise of only exquisite and elegant women live to serve us. I will be king of the land, lord of all!" The ghost exclaims in excitement. "I cannot wait for another moment. Hurry lad. Make the arrangements so I may live and walk this tainted earth once again."

Azusa nods, he sets down the jar and proceeds to move little dolls with a red X and a nail above the heart beside his brothers.

'Great. Another human with a god complex and large ego.' Ruki rolls his eyes. As Azusa places a doll beside him, he notices it's familiarity. 'Didn't I throw this away weeks ago?'

'Aww now the doll looks ugly. Damnit Azusa, why did you go and destroy my pretty work.' Kou whines as his little brother places his doll down beside him.

"Now with the voodoo dolls in place, let's test their power." The ghost raises a hand, the nails tremble before slowly sinking into the doll. The three vampires' bodies jolt before they convulse in pain. The nail driving slowly into the doll was making something heavy and sharp push against their flesh, making its way to their heart. No puncture wounds, just a lot of pain. A lot of sharp, stabbing pain they felt before it suddenly stopped. "That should be enough for now. Now lad, start the ritual to resurrect me."

Opening the jar of brown powder, Azusa carefully sprinkles it around the circle. Sniffing, Ruki was sure he could smell cinnamon. He felt too weak to move after the voodoo doll's magic. Once done, Azusa tosses the jar away, walks to sit next to his doll in the circle.

"Now then. The moon is high above the sky, time to get started." The ghost demands. "My followers, offer up yourselves to ensure my success." The blood from the walls moves in sync, it flows like a rushing river to the resurrection circle. The circle absorbs the blood, turning the white chalk glowing red. The circle activates, the incense begins to overpower the vampires' senses. The ghost cackles with anticipation. Suddenly the glowing circle stops.

"What happened? Tell me what happened!" The ghost suddenly becomes agitated.

Sniffing the air, Azusa recounts what he smells. "It smells different... not like flowers… spices?"

"Spices? You fool! You covered the circle with a protection charm! You ruined my spell!" The ghost cries out enraged. The energy he released was causing the lights to flicker, the windows cracked and shattered, the whole room felt like it was shaking.

'Damn. If only I could move.' Yuma wishes. 'We have to get out of here and soon.'

_"Edgar you must run."_ The female's voice returns to his head.

'Yeah yeah. If only I could.' Yuma replies grimly. He soon felt a strong hand on his shoulder yank him to his feet. The feeling of being stiff was gone, but he still felt lightheaded.

_"Go son. Get far away from here."_ A man's voice follows the woman's cries.

Yuma looks around him until he sees the couple from his dreams at a distance outside. 'Yeah will do. Thanks!' Gathering his bearings for a second he moves to grab Azusa and lift him to his shoulders. Then walks towards the other two.

"No! No one shall ruin this for me!" The ghost screams.

Another shaking in the room occurs, several wall scones fall to the ground around Yuma, the candles tip over catching fire on the floor. 'Damn it. To hell with this ghost!' He grabs Kou before pushing Ruki out of the circle with his foot.

Ruki grunts before realizing he can move again. Once out of the circle, he felt better. He rips the cloth off over his mouth before calling for Yuma. "Come on! We have to leave!" He grabs Kou, who peels off his cloth as well.

"What about..?"

"Later! We'll come back later!" Yuma shouts. Bursting through the front door, the trio rush out the gates. Screams continue to sound behind them as they leave. Once they reach the road they look back. The house continues to shake, the fire engulfs the circle and blood-curdling screams continue to howl. It didn't sound human, more demonic than anything. A screeching sound was heard behind them, they turned to find their limo waiting for them.

"Let's go to the demon realm. It'll be safer." Ruki declares. The rest agree, Azusa slowly awakens.

"Hey… why are... we outside…"

"You got some explaining to do. Sacrifice me? After all the good I've done for you!" Kou shouts at the young vampire as he rubs his eyes.

"Huh..?"

"Now's not the time." Yuma shoves both of them into the limo before leaping in himself. "Come on Ruki!" He calls for the elder vampire.

Ruki moves to go inside, a loud howling and laughter is heard from behind in the woods. "Damn it. Don't follow us you damn mutt!" He yells before jumping into the vehicle as well. The limo drives off hurriedly, the Black Shuck comes out of the woods with a toothy grin as they flee. Its giant size shrinks as it heads inside the manor towards the ghost. The doors to the manor slams behind it.

…

Three weeks have passed since Halloween, the Mukamis returned after getting their house exercised and cleaned up of debris. "Finally we can go back home without weird things happening," Kou exclaims in relief, heading towards their vehicle.

"Yeah just don't buy weird things again dumbass." Yuma retorts.

Ruki sighs. "For once can we have a peaceful evening to school?" Azusa comes up beside him, nodding.

"It's still his fault!"

"Like hell it is!" The two start to bicker before Ruki shoves them both inside.

"Come on, we'll be late as it is."

A creaking sound was heard from behind them. The four freeze, glancing back towards the house. "The door is... still open." Azusa points out.

"I'll get it!" Yuma leaps out to go and lock the manor. Ruki shakes his head and heads into the limo. Azusa follows Yuma to the house. "Hey come on, you don't have to come with me you know. I know it's not your fault what happened."

"I know.. sorry…"

"Don't apologize." Yuma locks up for the evening. He puts an arm around Azusa's shoulders pulling him back to the car. "Let's go-" He pauses as he hears a soft sound.

Something tapping on the window glass. The two vampires turn to see a red hand waving to them from inside. One, there was no one left inside the house. Two, the hand was dripping red liquid. Three, Yuma and Azusa couldn't see an arm or anything connected to the hand. "I think it's time to leave for school now."

Azusa nods. "Ruki will… mad…" The two vampires quickly walk to the limo. They get in, and head for school.

_**HAPPY HALLOWEEN~!**_

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed. I'll do the final family next year.**

**Please leave a review if you want.**


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